Case study 1
Lynn and Glynn lived in a series of private rented homes in the village. They both work locally so were not in a position to move too far away from their places of work. They had been on the housing register for 15 years but had never seen anything they liked in the right size for them in their village and they had a low housing need on Devon Home Choice (Band E) because their rented homes (although very expensive) were of the right size for them which meant they were considered to be adequately housed.
Their problem was that the rent was so high that it took up a huge proportion of their monthly income meaning they had little disposable income left over and certainly not enough to even think about putting any savings aside.
At last a one bedroom flat in their village was advertised on Devon Home Choice. They applied and because they had a strong local connection to the village they were short listed for the property by the housing association. Eventually they were offered the flat.
They have found their heating and electricity costs have gone down and now they are paying an affordable rent they can save a bit and have much less stress about money. And now they have a secure tenancy so feel they can make their home their own safe in the knowledge they will not be asked to leave by the landowner. They have already put down a new patio and planted up their garden and they have plans to do more both to the flat and garden.
Case study 2
Janet has been the tenant of the same affordable home for 41 years. She lives in an area with a mix of affordable and fully owned homes. She feels part of her community and says there is no difference between the tenants and home owners apart from the tenure of their homes. She is retired now but worked until she reached 65 and is proud to have contributed to the economy of Exeter and also to the community in which she lives.
She has certainly benefited from having a secure tenancy and knowing that her home is hers for life. All the people living in her neighbourhood have made a real effort to make the place look good taking a pride in their own homes and in the wider neighbourhood. She is delighted to rent from a housing association that invests in their properties to keep them modernised and fit for purpose. The homes are going through a programme of works to make them more eco-friendly and economic to run. She cannot recommend her housing association, Cornerstone, highly enough.
“Tenants have a personal relationship with the staff and know that they will get a positive response when they are requested. “
“Most people in this neighbourhood have lived here for many years if not decades. We have all grown up together and now have a very strong community based on shared experiences over the years”
Helping
Communities
Help Themselves
