Easy read housing guide

Moving house is a major change in people’s lives. You need to be sure that you want to move and decide on the best option for you.

Things to consider before moving

	Moving house is a major change in people’s lives. You need to be sure that you want to move and decide on the best option for you.</p>
	Moving into a new home can be very exciting, but it can also be stressful. Moving into a new home can take time and there can be set backs. It is good to be prepared for this.
	There are lots of people looking for housing. If you are willing to think about different types of housing, you may be able to move quicker into a new home.
	It might not be your choice to move house. Sometimes things start to change in our lives that are outside of our control and it means we have to make different plans for the future. It might be that your parents are getting elderly and can no longer support you or the house you are living in needs to be sold.
	Moving house when changes like this are happening can be difficult. It is good to talk to people around you about why these changes are happening and how they make you feel.
	In an emergency (when you have to move to another house quickly), you may be given temporary housing until better housing can be found. You may not be able to choose your temporary housing.

Choosing where to live and who to live with

You need to be sure that you want to move and decide on the best choice for you. There is a lot to consider.

Why do you want to move?

You may want to move because you may want more independence, you may not get on with people you live with now or for any other reason. If you are clear about why you want to move, it will help you to make decisions about what is important to you in your new home.

Where do you want to live?

You may want to live close to your friends, family, place of work, bus route, leisure activities etc.

Do you want to live by yourself?

You have a lot of independence and privacy
You control who comes into your house
You have a lot of responsibilities
Living by yourself can be lonely, if you decide to spend a lot of time by yourself

Do you want to live with friends?

You will have your own bedroom, but may have to share other rooms such as the bathroom and kitchen
You will have less privacy
You will have to respect people who live with you
People living with you will have visitors - You may be able to share support
Sharing can be fun, but sometimes friends who move to a shared house find that they do not like living together

Do you want to share your home with other people and need help finding someone to share with?

Your Care Manager or Broker may be able to put you in touch with somebody who wants to share a house.

Choosing the type of living arrangement

Supported Living

Supported living is a form of housing and support where people live together, choose who they want to live with and who they want to provide their support.

Supported living services are designed to provide people with more choice and control over their lives
Supported living accommodation can be a shared home or individual flats.
You will be able to get support to help with daily tasks such as cooking or cleaning
You will have rights and responsibilities as a tenant
You get a tenancy agreement which you and your landlord sign. Some landlords will be able to give you an easy read guide, which will explain your tenancy agreement. Or you can ask someone to explain the tenancy agreement to you
The tenancy agreement lists your rights and responsibilities
It also lists your landlord’s rights and responsibilities
It is good if you want to live with or near other people, but have your independence. You may be able to share some facilities with the other people who are living in the supported living service
You will have your own key and be able to come and go whenever you want to

Buying your own house or flat

You need to check if you have enough money to buy your own house or flat.

You may be able to get a mortgage, but this will depend on your finances (e.g. money you get from your job, your savings and benefits).

Buying a house can be risky - if you cannot afford to pay the mortgage, you can lose your house.

If you own the house, you have to pay the bills and pay for repairs.

If you own the house, you have a lot of independence.

Read the housing section on the Mencap website for different types of home ownership.

Renting

Renting is when you pay someone rent money every month to live in a house or a flat.

The person who owns the house or a flat is called a landlord.

If you rent a house or a flat, you are called a tenant. If you are a tenant, you get a tenancy agreement which you and your landlord sign.

Some landlords will be able to give you an easy read guide, which will explain your tenancy agreement. Or you can ask someone to explain the tenancy agreement to you.

The tenancy agreement lists your rights and responsibilities.

It also lists your landlord’s rights and responsibilities. There are two kinds of landlords:

Private landlord
Housing Association

If you rent from a private landlord, your tenancy is not as secure as if you rent from a Housing Association.

Not all private landlords accept tenants who receive benefits.

Your Care Manager or Broker can put you in touch with private landlords in the area.

Registered Care

Registered care is provided by an organisation registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Registered care homes are usually larger houses and have more people living there.

You will have your own bedroom but you will share other areas like the kitchen and lounge.

Support is usually provided at the home 24 hours a day.

Support can be provided by the same organisation that provides the housing. Registered care gives you less rights than other housing.

You will not have a tenancy agreement.

You may be asked to leave at short notice.

You will not have so many responsibilities and you will not have as much money to spend as you would in other types of housing. This also means that you will not have as much independence as with other housing options (your own home or supported living).

Providers of support

You may require support where you live to do things like the cooking, cleaning or managing your bills.

There will be different organisations in your area that provide support staff who will be able to help you with these things.

These organisations are called providers.

Your Care Manager, Broker or Housing Staff will give you information about local providers and what they offer.

Services offered by different providers vary.

Some providers offer specialist support, for example, they may have lots of experience of working with people with Autism.

If you live in a registered care home, you cannot chose a different support provider to the one already at the service. However if you live in supported living or you rent or own your own home, you can choose who you want to provide your support.

If you share support with friends, it may not be easy for you to get support from another provider.

Finances

Before you move house, your Care Manager, Broker, Housing Staff or Benefits Team will talk to you about your finances. You need to consider how much money you have to make sure you can move.

Your own money

You may have some savings or money given to you.

Salary

If you have a job, you will be getting regular payments for your work.

Benefits

You may be getting benefits such as Disability Living Allowance (care or mobility) or Personal Independence Payment.

You may also be entitled to other benefits if you move house, such as:

Housing Benefit – to pay your rent or some of your rent
Council Tax Exemption (so you don’t have to pay Council Tax.)

Support

You are entitled to a 'Fair Access to Care Services' (FACS) assessment from Wokingham Borough Council.

The assessment makes sure that everyone who needs social care gets the right support.

The assessment will decide if the council will pay for your support. Your Care Manager will discuss this with you.

Your Care Manager, Broker or Housing Staff will help you with making decisions about moving house.

Advocacy organisations provide support to people who find it difficult to speak up for themselves. An independent advocate can support you to speak up for yourself when making decisions about moving house.

Search our services directory for advocacy organisations.

What do these words mean?

Advocate	A person who speaks up for you or helps you to speak up for yourself.
Assessment	This is when someone works out what type of help and support you need.
Benefits	This is money people get from the Government to help them.
Broker or Care Manager	This is someone who works for social care services. They will help you to plan and organise support to meet your social care needs.
Care Quality Commission	This is the regulator for all health and social care services in England. A regulator is an organisation which checks services meet government standards or rules.
Floating Support	This is a form of support that can help you with any problems you have with keeping your home.
Home Owner	This is someone who has brought their own house to live in rather than renting from a Landlord.
Housing Association	This is an organisation which rents out accommodation to people on low incomes or with certain needs.
Mortgage	This is a sum of money given to someone who wants to buy their own home. This is a loan which means it has to be paid back to the bank.
Private Landlord	This is the person who rents out accommodation for a sum of money each month.
Registered Care	This is accommodation where support is provided by the same organisation that provides the housing. These are usually larger houses and have more people living there
Supported Living	This is a form of accommodation and support where people live together, choose who they want to live with and who they want to provide their support.
Rent	This is money paid to the Landlord (usually monthly) for living in their accommodation.
Temporary Housing	This is housing which you may be placed in when you need housing right away and have nowhere else to live. This would be for a short period of time.
Tenancy Agreement	This is a legal document which sets out the terms of which a property is rented. It sets out the responsibilities of the Tenant and the Landlord
Tenant	This is the person who lives in the rented accommodation and who must pay the rent.