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Housing for Young People with SEND

Find information on Housing for Young People with SEND.

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This information is for people with a variety of disabilities.

Renting

Renting is when you pay money to live in a house or flat owned by someone else. You are called the tenant. The person who owns the house or flat is called the landlord. The landlord can be a social landlord or a private landlord.

You sign a contract with the landlord. This contract is called a tenancy agreement. It explains what rights you have. This includes how long you can stay.

Renting from a Social landlord

A social landlord is an organisation that gives housing to people who need it most. The rent is low so lots of people want to rent from social landlords.

You have to go on a waiting list. This waiting list is called the housing register. You need to fill in a form to go on the housing register. When you are first on the waiting list you will be offered whatever housing the social landlord has that is good for you. Sutton council is a social landlord. You might have heard of housing associations. Housing associations are another type of social landlord.

You may be able to get money from Sutton council to help pay the rent. This money is called housing benefit. Housing benefit may pay all of your rent or just some of it. If housing benefit does not pay all of your rent then you will have to pay the difference.

Good things about renting from a Social landlord.

  • It is cheaper than renting from a private landlord.

  • You can stay in the same house for as long as you want to.

Bad things about renting from a Social landlord.

  • You may have to wait a long time for housing.

  • You can not choose where you live.

Renting from a private landlord

A private landlord is a person who makes money by renting housing to people. The rent is higher than social landlords charge but it is easier to find a private landlord. You also have more choice about where you live.

You pay for renting from a private landlord the same way you pay rent to a Social landlord. You can get housing benefit. If housing benefit doesn't pay all of your rent then you will have to pay the difference.

Good things about renting from a private landlord

  • You do not have to wait long for housing.

  • You can choose where you want to live.

Bad things about renting from a private landlord

  • It is more expensive than renting from a Social landlord.

  • You can be asked to leave once your contract has finished.

Buying your own home

Buying is when you pay for a house or flat and own it. Buying a house or flat can be expensive. You would have to borrow the money from a bank. You then pay a bit of this money back each month for many years. This payment is called a mortgage. You may be able to get benefits to help you pay the mortgage. Your family may also be able to help you with money.

Good things about buying

  • You own the house or flat.

  • You can choose where you live.

Bad things about buying

  • You have to pay to keep the property in good repair.

Shared Ownership

Shared ownership is a mix of renting and buying.

You buy part of a house or flat from a housing association.

You pay the housing association rent for the other part. You would have to get a mortgage to buy part of the house or flat. You may be able to get housing benefit to pay some or all of the rent for the other part. Your family may also be able to help you with money.

Good things about shared ownership

  • You do not need a big mortgage.

  • You can choose where you live.

Bad things about shared ownership

  • You may not want a mortgage.

Supported housing

Supported housing is where you live near other people with learning disabilities. Sometimes this will be in groups of flats. Somethings this will be in a house where you share a bathroom and kitchen with other people. There is someone who lives nearby if you need help. You have to pay rent to live in supported housing. You may be able to get housing benefit to pay all or your rent or just some of it. If housing benefit does not pay all of your rent then you will have to pay the difference.

Good things about Supported housing

  • You have someone nearby if you need help.

  • You live near other people with learning disabilities.

Bad things about Supported housing

  • You may not want to live with other people.

  • There is not a lot of supported housing in Sutton so you may not be able to live where you want.

Staying in your family home

If you live with your family then you may want to stay in your family home.

If your family own their home they may be able to pass it on to you. This means you would own the house or flat. If you buy the house or flat from your family you would pay a mortgage. You may be able to get benefits to help you pay the mortgage.

Good things about staying in your family home.

  • You can stay where you are.

Bad things about staying in your family home.

  • You may want a change.

Supported Living

Supported living is when you get help from the council to help you live in your own home. This could be help to clean your home. Help to do your shopping. Help to find a job. Sutton council may pay for the help.

Good things about supported living.

  • You can live in your own home.

The help you can get if you have a Learning Disability

If you have a learning disability you can get help from Sutton Council's learning disabilities team. This team can help you to decide what type of housing and support you need to live as independently as possible. You can also get help from Sutton council's housing centre. This team can help you to decide what housing option is best for you.

You can also get help from family and friends.

Your housing plan

Your Housing Plan will help you decide what type of housing is best for you. Your family, friends or support worker can help you with this plan.

  • Your current housing: Where do you live? Who do you live with? What is good about where you live? What is bad about where you live?

  • Your future housing: Do you want to live with other people? Do you work? Do you get any benefits? What benefits do you get?

  • What housing options do you want to know more about?

Who to contact next

If you have a learning disability and know what housing options you are interested in you can contact Sutton Council to find out more.

Support from Encompass

Usually a referral is made to housing by the Adult learning Disabilities Team in Social Services. However there is a very small number of properties dotted around the Borough. These rarely become available.

To apply for supported housing, you need to complete a Universal Referral form. If you would like to complete a Referral form, please email the Pathways team at Encompass.

Applications to the housing register are assessed when received. Your application will depend on how you are currently living and what your needs are. It is unlikely you will be rehoused through the register. It is very small due to the lack of properties becoming available. There are also lots competing priorities for housing.

Applicants must be 16 to register. You must also have capacity to understand and sign a tenancy agreement. This cannot be held until the age of 18 without a guarantor.

For more information, Visit the Encompass website [External Link].

No Place Like Home Guide

No Place Like Home is a Housing and Support booklet. It is there to help people with Learning Disabilities find a housing choice right for them. This booklet has information that supports those with SEND who are thinking about living on their own. It can help you have discussions to prepare you for this.

Download the No Place Like Home booklet here [External Link].

You can also find more information on the LBS Housing Support pages [External Link].

More housing support for young people with SEND

The National Development Team for Inclusion

The National Development Team for Inclusion have documents to help people with a Learning Disability find a housing choice right for them.

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