General Housing FAQ
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Here are some questions and answers relating to applying for accommodation.
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What does FAQ mean?
This means 'Frequently Asked Questions'. It is quite common for Websites to provide a list of questions that crop up more often than others. This is what you see on this page.
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I am a current Wigan Council Tenant, am I still required to provide references?
No. As a current Wigan Council tenant, your Housing Office will conduct a tenancy visit this instead. Once your application is received you will be contacted by your local office to arrange an appointment.
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How will I know if I have been successful for any of the properties I have expressed an interest in?
The property advertising cycle runs from Thursday at 9am until 5.30pm on Tuesday. The properties are then allocated each Wednesday. If you are successful in being allocated a property, you will be contacted directly by he Housing Office which manages the property. The contact would initially be by telephone but if we unable to contact you, we will write to you. To assist us in contacting you quickly, it is important that you provide contact details and update us if these change.
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How can I contact my local Housing Office?
Contact for your local Housing Office is via the Wigan and Leigh Housing Contact Centre on 01942 705040
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In addition to my application for additional medical priority for rehousing, do I also need to supply a letter from my GP?
A GP letter is not always necessary for us to assess for medical priority. However, if you wish to provide information from your GP then you can. On some occasions, the Medical Advisor may request further information when assessing your application, we will write to you if this occurs.
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How long will it take to get a property?
In accordance with Wigan Council’s Housing Scheme, 80% of properties (Needs Based Homes) will be advertised as and allocated to the applicant in the highest band with the earliest registration date (who meets the property criteria) with the remaining 20% (Time Based Homes) being advertised as and allocated to the applicant with the earliest registration date (who meets the property criteria). This means that the length of time it takes to be allocated a property, depends on your priority band and/or how long you have been registered for accommodation, in comparison to other applicants who have also expressed an interest in the same properties as you. Each week, applicants are able to express their interest in all the properties they would like to be considered for. The number of applicants who express their interest in a property can vary depending on the property type and area. All these factors means that it is not possible to predict how long you will wait before being offered accommodation.
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When will I get my application reference number?
Provided you have supplied all the required information e.g. references (if applicable), equity information (if you are a home owner) etc you should receive your reference number within 7-10 working days. If you have not supplied all the required supporting information, we will suspend your application and write to you to let you know what information is still outstanding.
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I am interested in owning my own property but am not sure if I can afford it, what options available to me?
You could consider applying for Wigan Council's 'Opening Doors' scheme. This scheme is designed to help people with moderate incomes get a foot on the property ladder by purchasing an equity share of a property in the private sector. Affordable housing scheme properties are offered for sale at discounted prices of the full market value. For example, a £100,000 house, with a 25% discount, will be offered to qualifying applicants on the affordable housing scheme register for £75,000 (NB the purchaser would then own 75% of the property, though once they have purchased the property, they can apply to ‘staircase’ and increase their equity share up to 100% in a maximum of two stages). If you would like an application pack or further information about this scheme, please contact a member of staff at the Housing Options Property Shop on 01942 404128 (Wigan) /404091 (Leigh)
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