The housing advice centre (HAC) manages homelessness and housing register applications, offers a wide range of housing advice including landlord and tenant issues, and prevents homelessness in all households. 

The centre is the first point of contact for many customers seeking advice or information on housing issues and provides a face-to-face service, as well as displaying leaflets and information on our standards.

HAC has recently installed better information racks and a new Digital Signage Monitor showing information on current schemes and information relating to our performance.

A newly installed suggestion board offers clients the opportunity of letting us know what they would like to see in the HAC or commenting on services provided.  Please view our Core Standards and see our performance against these standards.

Based on customer feedback, we are looking at extending our opening hours in the near future to offer services to as many customers as possible and will advertise these when they are in place.

The following services are provided:

Allocations

This team deals with lettings of council properties and housing association properties, including sheltered housing, Mutual Exchange Scheme and monitoring re-let times on council properties. The allocations team are also involved in the Choice Based Lettings Scheme.

Acquisitions

This team acquires privately owned properties to increase the supply of temporary accommodation. It also provides information on the Leasing Scheme, giving guaranteed rent to landlords who provide suitable properties to housing for temporary accomodation.   

Homelessness Assessment

The homeless assessment team carries out statutory investigations into homeless applications under Part VII, Housing Act 1996 as amended in 2002. 

Homelessness Prevention

The prevention team takes a proactive approach to prevent homelessness where possible. The team negotiates with landlords and letting agents on behalf of tenants and offers practical advice to landlords, homeowners and licensees. This team also tries to resolve any housing benefit issues.

This County Court Advice Service publication, sets out the advice offered by the homeless prevention team.

Choice Homes Team

The service deals with  enquiries such as:

• assessing applications and answering queries from applicants on the Choice Homes Scheme  
• deals with Housing Mobility and Exchange Services (HOMES)
• assessing older people for sheltered accommodation

Housing Needs

The housing needs team:

• deals with homeless approaches
• refers cases to the correct team at the housing advice centre for assistance, and operates the public reception.

Temporary Accommodation Team

This team managers the letting of privately owned properties and housing associations properties as temporary accommodation to homeless families placed in bed and breakfast.