Housing Options

Social housing is homes provided by the Council and their partners. These include:

• Fife Housing Group
• Glen Housing Association
• Kingdom Housing Association
• Ore Valley Housing Association
• Ochil View Housing Association
• Hillcrest Homes
• Dunedin Canmore Housing Association
• Caledonia Housing Association
• Cairn Housing Association
• Link Housing Association
• Horizon Housing Association

Please be aware that social housing in Fife has limited availability. If you do choose to apply for social housing, you may wait a long time to be housed.

A mutual exchange (or 'swap') is when two tenants of either your own landlord, tenants of another Council, or tenants of a Housing Association, swap properties.

A swap can help you move quickly, and you decide where you stay.

For more information, visit our Mutual exchange page.

Mid-market renting is people who may be unable to access social housing or buy their own home.

Rent is usually lower than the private rented sector, but higher than social housing.

The following Housing Associations offer mid-market rentals:

• Kingdom Housing Association
• Ore Valley Housing Association

Please contact them to find out more.

Renting from a private landlord could be the right option for you. There are lots of different properties available:

• flats
• houses
• shared accommodation
• bedsits
• rooms rented out in the landlord's house.

You will usually be expected to pay a deposit of one month’s rent, and a month’s rent in advance, before moving into the property.

You must be over the age of 16 to rent a property from a private landlord.

Fife Private Rental Solutions

Fife Private Rental Solutions (FPRS) provides advice and assistance to anyone interested in the private rented sector as a housing option.

Staff will discuss if this is an affordable option for you. They will advise on how to go about a property search, to find the perfect home for you.

Due to changes in housing legislation, private rented properties may now be a more accessible and affordable housing option for you.

For more information, please contact the FPRS team:

Tel: 01592 201849

Email info@fprs.co.uk

Twitter (@trustinfife)

Facebook (@TIF.Trustinfife)

There is support available if buying your own home makes sense to you.

Before you start looking for a property, you need to consider what you can afford. It might be worth making an appointment with a financial advisor, who can discuss this with you.

Next steps to consider:

• Decide what kind of mortgage you want and which lender offers you the best deal. Once you have chosen, you should get a mortgage agreed in principle.
• Have a look on  property websites, to see what's available within your budget
• Find a solicitor and ask them to request home reports and  important property details. They can note your interest in a property, and arrange viewings or put in an offer.

Visit the Shelter Scotland - Buying a home webpage, for more information.

Help to Buy (Scotland) Scheme

The Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme can help some people buy a new-build home, without the need for a large deposit. More information about this scheme is available on the Scottish Government website.

Older Persons Housing might suit you if you want to live independently, but your home is no longer suitable for your needs. You may want a smaller home, or like the idea of having someone to call on if there is an emergency.

We offer three types of housing for older people, depending on your needs:

• Retirement
• Very Sheltered
• Extra Care Housing

For more information, visit our Older Persons Housing page.

Housing for Specific Needs Groups is for those who require specific approaches, specific accommodation and/or specific support services.

Please visit our Housing for Specific Needs Groups page for more information.

If you own your home and face it being repossessed as a result of financial difficulties, the Scottish Government may be able to help you.

The Scottish Government operates two schemes to help owners who are experiencing difficulty in paying any loans that are secured against their property. These are:

• the Mortgage to Rent scheme, and
• the Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme.

Visit the Scottish Government's Mortgage advice and guidance page for more information.

The Fife Housing Register website has a handy tool to see where all the FHR partners have properties. Please note, this is not a list of available properties.

You should use this tool to look at :

• · number of properties in each area
• · size and type of property
• · landlord type

This tool can help you add other areas of choice to your Fife Housing Register application. If you do not want to add more areas or property types, you may want to consider other housing options.

FHR property map

The Transfer Incentive Scheme can help tenants who want to downsize or move for other reasons. The aim is to help tenants to move to more appropriate housing. Their homes can then be re-used to meet the need of other families on the housing list.

Please visit our Transfer Incentive Scheme page for more information.