Low cost home ownership

• Do I qualify low cost home ownership?
• Low cost home ownership in rural areas
• Current low cost home ownership schemes in Swansea
• How do I express an interest in low cost home ownership?

Do I qualify low cost home ownership?

1. Are you aged 18 or over?
2. Are you a British or EU citizen or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK?
3. Do you intend to use the property as your only or principal home?
4. Can you satisfy that your financial and or individual circumstances do not enable you to buy or rent a similar property in the area on the open market?
5. You are not in arrears or in breach of a tenancy agreement.
6. You are not already a home owner.
7. Can you get a mortgage? (intermediate sale, low cost home ownership only).

Priority will be given to those:

• with a low household income
• households that make best use of a property's size. For example, when considering a two bedroom apartment, a couple with a child would take priority over a couple with no children. Existing social housing tenants and first time buyers will also be given priority. 

In a case where 2 or more similar households are interested in the same property, priority will be given to that household which has been registered for re-housing on the appropriate allocation register for the longest time. 

Applicants may be required to provide additional information as necessary.

Low cost home ownership in rural areas

Local need criteria

For affordable housing in rural areas within Swansea, all of the affordable housing criteria set out above must be met along with the additional 'local need' criteria. In the context of rural local needs housing, use of the word 'local' in describing a resident means:

• applicants who are resident within the area who have been resident for a continuous period of at least 5 years immediately before making an application

or

• applicants who have been resident within the area for any period of (or periods totalling) 10 years or more within the previous 10 years immediately before making an application,

or

• applicants who were previously resident in the area and who have an immediate family member(s) currently resident in the area and where the immediate family member(s) have been resident within the area for a continuous period of at least 10 years immediately before the housing application was made and intend to remain ('immediate family' means a parent or parents, a child or children, or a sibling or siblings)
• applicants who currently live in the area needing separate accommodation, for example married couple and people living in tied accommodation on retirement.
• applicants who work either full time or part time within the area (part time in this case is defined as being a minimum of 10 hours each week).
• applicants who need to move into the area to take up full or part time employment (a minimum of 10 hours per week) within the area.
• applicants who need to move to the area to enable them to either give or receive support to or from an immediate family member ('immediate family' means a parent or parents, a child or children, or a sibling or siblings or other relationships where a genuine need to give or receive support is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the City and County of Swansea.

In the event that none of the above can be met by the applicants, we may consider individuals from surrounding areas and communities that border the area. This will be defined on a site by site basis if necessary.

Current low cost home ownership schemes in Swansea

• Woodland Grove, Gowerton: https://poblliving.co.uk/developments/woodland-grove/
  Email: woodlandgrove@poblliving.co.uk
• Gwynfaen, Penyrheol: https://poblliving.co.uk/developments/gwynfaen/
  Email: gwynfaen@poblliving.co.uk
• Parc Ceirw, Cwmrhydyceirw, Morriston: www.pennanthomes.co.uk/parc-ceirw
• The Meadows, Langland: www.pennanthomes.co.uk

Resale of low cost home ownership homes - when we are made aware of low cost home ownership properties that are being re-sold we will post details here.

How do I express an interest in low cost home ownership?

You will first need to register on the affordable housing register by sending your details by email to affordablehousingregister@swansea.gov.uk or by ringing (01792) 635047.

We will contact you to discuss your eligibility for future schemes. We will ask you for information about your current housing circumstances, your income, your proposed household and future housing preferences and requirements.

Once registered, you will be sent a letter confirming that your details are on the database. We will then contact you on a 6 monthly basis to update your details.

You will be notified of any upcoming schemes in your chosen areas that are being led by us.