Before you apply to the housing register it is important to check that you meet the qualification and eligibility criteria. For a full list of eligible applicants please see our Housing Allocation Policy.
Applicants must also meet our qualification criteria:
- meet our age restriction:
Anyone aged 16/17 years will normally require a guarantor for example social services, parent, guardian or friend. Social landlords may have different policies
and
- one of the Local connection criteria (see our Housing Allocations Policy for exceptions)
| Local connection | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Residency in the area` | 2 years or 3 years out of the last 5 years |
| Close family continuous residency in the area (parents, siblings, non dependant children) | 5 years evidenced |
| Paid employment in the Dorset Council area | 16 hours per week average for a minimum of 1 year (including zero hour contracts) |
| Offer of permanent employment to social tenant in the Dorset Council area | 16 hours per week (on average) for no less than 1 year (including zero hour contracts) and where it is unreasonable to travel from current social housing property |
| Location requirements | Any requirements detailed in a Section 106 Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and or Local Lettings Plan |
Some eligible applicants may not qualify because of other factors including:
- unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make them unsuitable as a prospective tenant
- people who have assets and/or income above the financial resource limit
- people who own their own home
- people who have deliberately worsened their circumstances
- prisoners whose release date is more than 2 months