Most registered providers of social housing (housing associations) with properties in Warrington use Under One Roof to let their properties. The largest of these is Torus

Who can apply for social housing?

You can apply for social housing if you are aged 18+ and:

  • a British citizen, or
  • a citizen of another country with the right to stay in the UK with no restrictions on how long you can stay 
  • 16 and 17 year olds who are care leavers or are homeless and are supported by the council.

You may be excluded if you have a record of antisocial behaviour, neighbour nuisance or you are in rent arrears. To find out more read pages 10-11 of Council's Allocations Policy.

Housing swap

You can swap your home with another tenant as long as all the parties and organisations involved are;

  • in agreement
  • you don't owe any rent
  • your home and garden is in good condition.  

Torus use the national HomeSwapper scheme, which is free for their tenants.  The site matches every advertised property and will alert you by email or text message when a possible swap is found.

For more information please visit their website

Right to buy scheme 

The right to buy scheme was introduced in 1980 and is designed to help social tenants buy their home at a discount off the full market value of the property.

The council does not own any social housing in Warrington, but if you rented a property from us before the transfer (whilst the properties were still owned by us) you may be able to buy the property, depending on the length of the tenancy and the type of property.

Right to acquire scheme 

The right to acquire scheme allows some tenants to buy the home they rent at a discounted price. As with right to buy, this excludes certain types of accommodation;

  • shared properties 
  • sheltered housing 
  • tied accommodation, such as a warden’s flat.  

You must be a housing association tenant to be considered and the property you want to buy must be your only or main home. To qualify you must have been a housing association, council, armed forces or other public housing tenant for at least:

  • five years, if your tenancy started on or after 18 January 2005 
  • two years, if your tenancy started before 18 January 2005. 

Some housing association properties can be bought under the right to acquire. Your home must have been:

  • built or bought by the housing association after 1 April 1997 
  • paid for through a social housing grant. 

For further information on Right to Acquire, contact your landlord directly.

You should get independent legal advice and should consider all the costs and legal implications involved in purchasing and owning your own home before making a commitment.

Adaptations to social housing

Access to assistance for adaptations is not based on tenure and the local authority will deal with enquiries from social housing tenants in a similar way to other tenures. This is done by undertaking an assessment of the client and preparing a statement of need, if appropriate. For social housing tenants the referral is made to the registered provider (the landlord) and not directly to the private sector housing team, as with other types of tenure.

Several registered providers operate sheltered schemes, including extra care schemes, for older people within Warrington. The council has encouraged these organisations to take account of the needs of an ageing population when undertaking any refurbishment works to these premises, such as installing showers. The council has introduced policy guidelines for bathing facilities in sheltered accommodation.

Where a residents condition is of a nature that adapted bathing facilities are considered appropriate, the assessment will take into consideration any communal facilities provided on site.

Social landlords operating within Warrington will have their own policies for adaptations, which will range from the way in which they deal with requests for adaptations from tenants to the type of adaptation suitable for each property type. For example, some registered providers may have a budget which is ring-fenced for adaptations work and will undertake the work themselves, whilst others may encourage their tenants to make an enquiry for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).

Some registered providers may not wish to give consent for structural adaptations to a family home where the sole occupant is elderly and disabled and could move to a more suitable property, which is already adapted, such as a flat or bungalow. 

The legislative framework for DFGs is the same for all client groups and tenures and the priority scoring system is applied to all clients.

The council transferred its housing stock to GGHT in November 2010 and, as part of this arrangement, GGHT agreed to fund suitable adaptations in their properties.  As a consequence, GGHT tenants with disabilities do not have their requests for adaptations processed through a DHG, these are dealt with directly by their landlord, in accordance with their policy on Aids and Adaptations.