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General eligibility criteria for all Customers

Eligibility for affordable homes to rent or buy through Housing Options is subject to the funding terms agreed by the housing provider who has built the home and their funding partners. These may vary from one development to another and by location, always check with the housing provider who has built the homes you are interested in as to what eligibility terms apply.
All Customers (key workers and non key workers) applying for affordable home ownership or intermediate rent homes must meet the following basic criteria:
You must not be able to buy a home suitable for your housing needs within a reasonable travelling distance of your work place, without assistance You must be a British or EU/EEA citizen or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Customers without indefinite leave to remain who are interested in buying a home, must be able to demonstrate that they are able to raise a mortgage with an acceptable lender and that they can afford to sustain home ownership in the longer term. This will normally require a detailed individual assessment You must have savings or access to at least £4000 to cover the cost of buying a home, this amount is a guideline figure and will vary depending on the HomeBuy product you are pursuing and by deposit terms required by your mortgage lender. At the time of writing (May 2009), it is likely that you will require more than this amount to be able to buy a home immediately You must be employed on a permanent contract of employment or be able to demonstrate that you can afford to sustain the costs of home ownership If you are a key worker we can consider you if you are employed on a temporary contract as long as: there are at least 6 months remaining on the contract the contract was issued at the outset for at least 12 months there is a reasonable prospect of the contract being extended You must sell your existing property if you own oneYou must have a good credit history.
You may not qualify for HomeBuy products if:
You have had rent arrears during the last 12 months or are in breach of your current tenancy agreement If you are a key worker, you cease to be a permanent employee in a qualifying profession before you complete your purchase You have an adverse credit history You are in receipt of housing benefit OR you are receiving housing benefits Please note - individual circumstances will be considered.



Eligibility criteria for key workers	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria if you are a key worker applying for home ownership you must:
Be employed in a qualifying key worker profession Have a household income that does not exceed £60,000 p.a. Have at least 5 years to serve prior to retirement.
Who qualifies for Intermediate Rent?
Homeowners must have sold their existing property before they are eligible Customers meeting the eligibility criteria for key workers (see above) Customers that have an offer of employment within a qualifying key worker profession that is due to start within 3 months Customers who do not have indefinite leave to remain but have their passport stamped with at least 6 month leave to remain in the UK Trainee probation officers NHS clinical staff Police community support officers All trainee key workers Ministry of Defence Employed Full Time Reserve Service Personnel. Some homes may be available through Intermediate Rent to people who are not key workers, the housing provider offering the homes will be able to give you more information on this.



NHS Staff	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility critera and the eligibility criteria for key workers; applicants from the NHS must
Be permanent employees of one of the following: NHS Primary Care Trusts NHS Trusts NHS Ambulance Trusts NHS Mental Healthcare and Social care Trusts The National Blood Transfusion Service NHS Direct NHS Professionals Strategic health Authorities NHS GP surgeries Health Protection Agency NHS Dental Practices with NHS Body status

All Clinical NHS staff are eligible. Medical Staff (Doctors/Dentists), Administration Staff and omestic/Portering Staff are not eligible'.




Teachers	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; all teachers applying for home ownership must:
Have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Be employed as a qualified teacher, Deputy Head, Head teacher or Nursery Nurse in a grant maintained nursery, primary or secondary schools including: City Technology Colleges City Academies Schools for children with special needs




Teachers in further education	Top of the page >>

If you are uncertain whether your teaching qualification meets the requirements for the regulations please view the Capital Funding Guide (scroll down the page and click the large yellow asterisk on the right for a list of all eligible roles)."



Police	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; applicants working for The Metropolitan Police service must:
Be a serving Police Officer who has completed the initial training at Hendon, or a Police Officer transferring from another constabulary who cannot be housed in police quarters A member of police staff who is directly employed and has been in post for six months and is in one of the following priority posts: Communications Officer Scientific Support Team Crime Analysts Station Reception Officer (staff undertaking this role and based at Lewisham, Bromley and Sutton Station are excluded as they are employed by a private sector organisation) Civilian Gaolers Police Community Support Officers are eligible for New Build Homebuy and Intermediate Rent. (having successfully completed their 6 months probationary period including 3 weeks initial training). Police Community Support Officers will be eligible for Open Market Homebuy from April 06. Royal Parks Constabulary employed Police Officers
In addition to the above posts, other front line posts may be considered. To find out if you are eligible please call the Metropolitan Police Property Zone on 020 7161 2323 or email propertyzone@met.police.co.uk If you are not eligible for Housing Options they will be able to tell you about other housing initiatives which are specifically for Metropolitan Police staff.




British transport police	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; applicants working for the British Transport Police service must:
Be a Police Officer or Community Support Officer who has been employed for by the BTP for at least 1 year (for Key Worker Homebuy) Have successfully completed initial training , i.e. 32 weeks (for the Intermediate Rent and New-Build Homebuy Schemes)
Applicants must be employed in one of the following posts: - Crime Analysts - Senior Crime Analysts - Communications Officers - Scenes of Crime Officers - Community Race Relations Analyst - Communications Officers - Occupational Health Advisers



City of London Police	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; applicants working for the City of London Police must be a;

Serving Police Officer who has completed initial training or; A Police Officer transferring from another constabulary who cannot be housed in police quarters A Police Community Support Officer who has completed the initial training and completed their probationary period.



Prison service	Top of the page >>

Now all HM Prison Service establishments located in the London regions are eligible for Key Worker Living assistance. In addition applicants need to meet the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers.
In addition to working in one of these establishments applicants must also be from one of the following disciplines:
Prison Officers and related grades; Instructional Officer Operational Support Grades (OSGs); An Industrial Officer. Within this group, the highest priority will be given to first line and other managers with experience elsewhere. The next highest priority will be the direct recruitment of staff in the grades listed above to the prisons listed above An Educational Officer Nursing staff Industrial staff



Ministry of Defence (MoD)	Top of the page >>

MoD personnel qualify for Extended Open Market HomeBuy, New Build HomeBuy and Intermediate Rent where they have completed their basic training and are one of the following;
Regular service personnel (regular service personnel including Military Provost Guard Service, in the Navy, Army and Air Force) Clinical Staff (with the exception of doctors and dentists) MoD Police Officers Uniformed staff in the Defence Fire Service

The following group will qualify for Intermediate Rent schemes only
Full Time Reserve Service (Full Commitment)



Probation service	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; applicants working for the probation service must be one of the following:
Senior Probation Officer Probation Officer Probation Service Officer Trainee Probation Officer (eligible for Intermediate rent only)



Fire & rescue service	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; applicants working for the London Fire brigade must be one of the following:
Be a uniformed member of staff. Have successfully completed initial training 17 weeks training – Firefighters 10 weeks training – Control Officers



Local authority staff	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; we can only accept applications from the local authority employees that are:
Employed in a London Local Planning Authority (LPA) as a planning officer in one of the following grades: Level L1 Basic Professional Level L2 Experienced/Senior Professional Level L3 Principal Professional – manage a single function or small team Level L4 divisional Head Employed as a Social Worker and have attained the recognised professional Social Worker degree/diploma. Unqualified Social Workers (including Graduate trainees) are eligible for Intermediate Rent only as long as they are registered with the General Social Care Council (GSCC) and are currently working towards attaining a social worker qualification. Other staff employed in Social Services Departments - other than Occupational Therapists and Educational Psychologists - are not eligible. Employed and qualified as a Speech & Language Therapist Employed as a qualified Occupational Therapist Employed as a qualified Educational Psychologist Employed as a qualified Nursery Nurse Employed as Local Authority Clinical Staff Employed as a Rehabilitation Officer for the Visually Impaired Employed as an Educational Officer Of Looked After Children Employed as a Phenotyping Officer Employed as a Connexions Personal Advisor, employed by a Local Authority or Connexions Partnership. (Connexions Personal Advisors employed by a Private/Voluntary Sector organisation are not eligible).



CAFCASS	Top of the page >>

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria and the eligibility criteria for key workers; we can only accept applications from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service employees who are;

Employed as a fully qualified Social Worker/Guardian



Environmental Health Officers/Practitioners	Top of the page >>

The following are eligible:

Qualified Environmental Health Officers/Practitioners who work in a local authority, government agency, NHS or other public sector agencies. They must hold either an EHRB Certificate of Registration or an EHRB Diploma in Environmental Health



Traffic Officer staff of the Highways Agency Traffic Officer Service	Top of the page >>

Staff must be in the following safety critical roles:

Supervisor (On road and Off road) Traffic Officer RCC Operator



Eligibility criteria for MyChoiceHomeBuy & Ownhome	Top of the page >>

In addition to the basic low cost home ownership all applicants must be.
Either a key worker or public sector tenant (willing to vacate their rented home) with an income of up to £60,000, or A first time buyer with a household income not exceeding £60,000. Please note that Shared Ownership leaseholders are not public sector/housing association tenants and therefore are not eligible for MyChoiceHomeBuy. - occasionally a highly pointed applicant on the council's housing waiting list could qualify. Only a small number of London Local Authorities allow waiting list applicants to buy through MyChoiceHomeBuy. Please check local arrangements with your HomeBuy Agent - similarly some local authorities will consider applications from applicants that are Foster Carers. Please check local arrangements with your HomeBuy Agent. You will need to have sufficient household income to be able to afford at least 50% of the cost of the type of home you would want to buy on the open market. Prices for homes can vary substantially from one area to another and from one postal code to another in the same local authority area. As a rough guide, to assess if you can afford to buy a 50% share of a home, multiply your household income by 3.5 times if two of you are buying together and by 4 times if you are buying on your own. This sum will indicate the maximum mortgage amount that you'd be able to borrow. If this is equal to 50% of the cost of the home you would like to buy then we may be able to help you. If it is less than 50% of the cost of the home you want to buy you will need to look for a home in a more affordable area or consider an alternative option, such as New Build HomeBuy. If you are not sure whether to proceed at this stage, contact us and we can advise you.

To qualify for HOLD you must:
Live in housing that is unsuitable for your needs. Have long term disability e.g. learning disability, mental ill health, physical disability. Be over 18 years of age. Be eligible for Income Support or Incapacity benefit for at least 39 weeks. Have access to set up costs of £3000.

Kingston only

Priority will be given to local authority and housing association tenants and those on the housing waiting list in the London Borough of Kingston. If you are not on the Kingston Housing Register please contact the Home Ownership Section on 020 8547 5439.

You need to have sufficient household income to be able to afford 75% of the cost of the type of home you would want to buy on the open market. Prices for homes vary substantially from one area to another and from one postal code to another in the same local authority area.

To assess if you can afford to buy a 75% share of a home broadly you need to multiple your household income by 3 times if two of you are buying together and by 3.5 times if you are buying on your own. This sum roughly gives you the maximum mortgage in principal you can have. If this equals the 75% cost of the home you would like to buy we may be able to help you. If it is less than 75% of the cost of the home you want to buy you will need to look at cheaper homes to buy on the open market.

Richmond only

Priority 1 Housing Association tenants occupying family sized accommodation (for properties that we have nominations rights to, i.e. in this borough and parts of the Hounslow borough) Priority 2 Housing Association tenants occupying studio or 1-bed accommodation (for properties that we have nominations rights to, i.e. in this borough and parts of the Hounslow borough) Priority 3 Accepted homeless applicants - Housing Register applicants with a high number of points that reflects their priority for housing - therefore in points order Priority 4 Customers with special needs identified by the borough Priority 5 Key workers, according to the DCLG definition, plus ambulance and bus drivers, who work in this borough and at hospitals serving a substantial number of borough residents Priority 6 Other key workers living or working in the whole sub-region Priority 7 Applicants on Housing Register (prioritised by points)

Wandsworth only

Priority 1 Wandsworth Council tenants with a recognised medical need or living in overcrowded conditions and having a minimum of 150 points in the transfer queue, or are decants, essential repair cases, tenants under occupying and homeless persons. Priority 2 All other Wandsworth Council tenants and tenants of Housing Associations currently occupying property within the Borough. Priority 3 First-time buyers who currently live within the Borough . Applicants in this category must pass a financial appraisal. Note: If more than one applicant from the same priority group applies for a property the applicant with the earliest registration date under the scheme will take precedence. If you are not yet registered with Wandsworth please contact the Home Ownership Unit on 020 8871 6016

Westminster only

To be considered for specific New Build Home Buy and Rent to Home buy opportunities or intermediate rent schemes (discounted rent) in Westminster, you must register with the council service Homeownership Westminster. Telephone 0845 437 9701 Email info@homeownershipwestminster.co.uk Visit www.homeownershipwestminster.co.uk Priority awards are made to: Priority 1 Council tenants and Housing Association tenants Priority 2 Households who the council has accepted a statutory homeless duty to re-house Priority 3 All other council Housing Waiting List Priority 4 People who live in Westminster Priority 5 People who work in Westminster



Eligibility Criteria for New Build Homebuy (formerly known as Shared Ownership)	Top of the page >>

To qualify for New Build Homebuy you must meet the general eligibility criteria:
Live in or near London or; Work in or near London; or Aspire to live in London.
Priorities
We generally aim to sell to first time buyers but your applications may also be considered from people who have previously owned their own home if:
They owned the home with a partner and that relationship broke down They need to move into an area because of their job and cannot afford to buy outright They are shared owners whose income has fallen and they can only stay as home owners by moving to a smaller, cheaper home They are shared owners whose family has grown but cannot afford to buy outright You are currently living in unsatisfactory rented accommodation or able to show your housing need

As funds are limited, applications for new build developments will be prioritised. Eligibility for the different developments varies locally. Generally priority is given to those releasing tenancies, living in temporary public funded accommodation or those that are key workers. However, homes are offered at different stages to all those listed in the eligibility groups above.
In deciding how homes will be offered, we will take the following factors into account:
The applicants preference Household income and affordability - If you are not a key worker or public sector tenant your maximum household income cannot exceed £60,000. Household size. Applicants will be offered a home with up to one bedroom above and over their current needs.

Allocation of homes is based on the provision of accurate information supplied by applicants. Tower Homes/Metropolitan Home Ownership may withdraw any offer it may have made if information is found to be misleading or incorrect. The Sales Manager is responsible for the final decision. In the event of a dispute the matter can be referred through our complaints procedure (available on request)



Eligibility Criteria for Social Homebuy	Top of the page >>

Social HomeBuy is where public sector tenants buy their council or housing association home on a part buy part rent basis receiving a discount on the initial purchase price. Eligibility criteria are set on a local level by your landlord. It is not a statutory scheme and not all landlords will currently be offering this assistance. To find out if your landlord is offering Social HomeBuy and what the eligibility criteria is please call your Housing Officer who should be able to advise you.



Eligibility for HomeBuy Direct	Top of the page >>

Be a qualifying buyer unable to afford a home in their local market. Applicants must not be able to buy a home suitable for their housing needs within a reasonable travelling distance of their work place, without assistance. Be able to demonstrate access to savings or sufficient funds to pay, if required, a deposit (which may be 5% or more of the purchase price), legal fees, stamp duty and other costs of moving. Be able to sustain home ownership in the longer term. Typically, applicants will be employed on a permanent contract of employment (there are exceptions for key workers). If self-employed, the applicant must be able to provide accounts for the last three years. Not already be home owners or named on a home mortgage. If an applicant has had their name on a mortgage they will have to provide evidence that it has been (or is in process of being) removed. Have a good credit history - if applicants have rent arrears during the last FG months, are in breach of their current tenancy agreement or have an adverse credit history which means they are unlikely to be able to sustain ownership, they will not be eligible for HomeBuy Direct. Take out a first mortgage with a qualifying lender.



Equal Opportunities	Top of the page >>

Metropolitan Home Ownership and Tower Homes are committed to equal opportunities. We aim to give equal treatment and the same opportunities to everyone.
We expect everyone who works for us to support us in this.
This is what we will do:
Treat all people equally, whatever their race, colour, ethnic origin, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexuality, physical or mental disability, state of health, appearance, marital status or family circumstances. Give all members of staff equal opportunities’ training. Help ethnic groups who are disadvantaged in housing and employment, by encouraging members of these groups to apply for jobs and homes. Keep a record of the ethnic origin, sex and disability of everyone who applies to us for a house or a job. Keep in mind our commitment to equal opportunities when we decide who serves on our committees. Make sure everyone we work with or works for us knows about our policy and keeps to it. If any of these people have their own policy, we will make sure it fits in with ours. Take account of developments in equal opportunities when we update our housing and employment policies and procedures.

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