Apply for a house

The Fife Housing Register (FHR) website is a good place to start if you want to apply for a house. It will give you on all the housing options available to you.

We recommend that you complete the housing options assessment to get your own action plan. Sometimes, council housing isn't the best option for you. It can tell you if renting privately or from another housing association would suit your circumstances better.

The best way to complete a housing application is online. You’ll need to register or sign in to your account to access the online application. Once you're registered, you can access the “online application for housing” option.

If you don't have access to a computer at home, please visit your nearest Customer Service Centre.

If you have an illness or disability and need additional support, we can help. We have a team of housing occupational therapists to help you with your application. We can also help if you need specialised forms of housing. Please speak to the staff at your Customer Service Centre.

We will go through your application and get back to you within 20 days. We will then write to tell you:

• How your application has been assessed and the points you have been awarded
• The category which the application falls into
• Any information we still need that could affect your application
• How to appeal against our decision

Allocation System

FHR is made up of different housing partners, including housing associations and groups. They have agreed a common way of assessing housing need. This makes it more simple for applicants to understand the process. It also makes sure people are being assessed fairly.

Your application will be placed in a group that reflects your needs. The categories are:

• Urgent Housing Needs
• Poor Housing Circumstances
• Lack of Security
• Social and Medical Needs
• Management Needs
• No Immediate Needs

You may get points for different circumstances. At the end, you will be placed in the group where you have the highest points. Your housing need is worked out by awarding points for things like:

• Overcrowding
• Living in a poor quality or below standard property
• Homelessness or being potentially homeless

We'll award points if you:

• are experiencing abuse or harassment in or around your home;
• have housing difficulties because of things like
  • health
  • disability
  • need for support
  • educational or employment reasons
• are at risk of losing your home
• are leaving the armed forces
• need to move to support your children’s educational and social development
• need alternative housing to provide care for your children or relatives

We'll not award points based on:

• Your household income
• If you and your spouse currently live together
• Your marital status
• The length of time you've lived in Fife
• Your age (provided you are over 16 years old)

If you've any tenancy related debts, this won't affect your points if:

• You weren't the tenant
• The debt's been cleared
• Less than one month’s rent's due
• You've made arrangements and you're continuing to pay the debt

If your circumstances change at all, you must let us know. It could affect your points.

Also it’s important that you respond to the review letters we will send you. These will come on a regular basis. It's our way of checking your details are the same and you've had no changes to your circumstances.

Our FHR Partners have their own allocation policies, which can be found on the website. Please visit https://www.fifehousingregister.org.uk