FAQ
- Who can apply for housing with the Fife Housing Register?
- How do I apply to the Fife Housing Register?
- What if I do not have an email address?
- What supporting information will I need to give for my application to be assessed?
- What if I do not have 5 years of address history?
- What if I feel I cannot tell you everything you need to know to assess my application?
- Where can I return my completed application form?
- How do you gather and use my personal information?
- What happens once I complete a Fife Housing Register application?
- What if I have completed an online Fife Housing Register application and I have forgotten my login details?
- How will my application be assessed?
- What is the Common Assessment of Need?
- How will my application be reviewed?
- What if my circumstances change?
- What if I no longer wish to stay on the housing list to be housed by a Fife Housing Register partner?
- Can I apply for a Mutual Exchange (Homeswap) when I have an Fife Housing Register application?
- How will I know when there is a property available?
- How long will I have to wait to get a new home?
- What happens if I have rent arrears and have applied to be on the housing list?
- What happens if I am not from the UK?
- What happens if I am a UK citizen coming to live in the UK from abroad?
- What happens to my application when I have been re-housed?
- Where can I get advice and information on housing?
Who can apply for housing with the Fife Housing Register?
If you are 16 and over you can apply to be on the housing list.
How do I apply to the Fife Housing Register?
You can apply for housing by requesting a Fife Housing Register application form from any of our partner offices.
If you have an email address you can also apply online. To complete an online housing application you will need to register for a secure account on Fife Direct. If you already have an account, login in using your existing details. Once you have registered and logged in you will find the option 'Online application for Housing' under the Housing section on the homepage of your account.
What if I do not have an email address?
A valid email address is needed to complete a Fife Housing Register application form online.
There are a number of free email account providers and, in most cases, a new email account can be created in a few minutes. You can search the internet for email account providers.
If you do not want to have an email address, you can still apply for housing using a paper application form.
What supporting information will I need to give for my application to be assessed?
This depends on your circumstances. As you complete the application online you will be prompted to scan and upload documents. A reminder will be given at the end of the online application form. If you do not have a facility to scan the documents requested and to upload, please visit one of our partner offices or send a copy to Fife Housing Register Team, Fife Council, New City House, 1 Edgar Street, Dunfermline, KY12 7EP.
If you do not give us enough information or proof then there may be delays in assessing your application.
What if I do not have 5 years of address history?
The Fife Housing Register form asks you to provide your address history for the previous 5 years. If at any point in the last 5 years you have had no fixed address, please say “no fixed address” in the address history page along with the dates when these living circumstances applied to you.
What if I feel I cannot tell you everything you need to know to assess my application?
You can call 03451 55 00 33 and depending on what it is you need to tell us, we can either update your information or arrange for you to meet someone to go over this in more detail.
Where can I return my completed application form?
You can return your completed paper application form and any additional information to any of our partner offices.
How do you gather and use my personal information?
The information provided by you when completing the Fife Housing Register application form will be used by the Fife Housing Register Partnership in order to process your application.
It will be shared with Fife Housing Register partners and information will be obtained from previous landlords, mortgage lenders and any other relevant contacts that you have provided in your application form to help with the assessment.
Further information on how your information is used and why can be found here. The Council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@fife.gov.uk.
What happens once I complete a Fife Housing Register application?
Once you have completed your application form either online or a paper form your application will be assessed. If additional information is needed for your application to be fully assessed someone will be in touch with you.
We aim to assess your form within 20 days if all the supporting information is provided. Once your application has been processed you will receive a letter and an application reference number. Check this carefully to make sure all the details are correct. If you need to give us more information or you feel it has not been assessed correctly, please call 03451 55 00 33 or visit one of our partner offices and we will check it for you.
What if I have completed an online Fife Housing Register application and I have forgotten my login details?
If you have forgotten any of your signing in details in FifeDirect, click on the options listed:
How will my application be assessed?
All applications are considered in the same way. Your application is awarded points and a category in line with your housing need and based on the information in your application form.
Although there is only one application form and one assessment, each landlord has their own allocation policy. Each partner’s allocation policy is available on their individual website.
Urgent Housing Needs |
Points |
Social and Medical Needs |
Points |
Statutory Homelessness |
100 |
Illness and disability |
20/40/60* |
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Sever Harassment |
100 |
Retirement Housing |
15/30/50* |
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Closure order/ Closure for re-development |
100 |
Special Needs Accommodation |
20/60* |
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Poor Housing Circumstances |
Points |
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Lacking Amenities |
12 |
Harassment |
10/30 |
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Unsafe Water Supply/ Inadequate Drainage/Rising & Penetrating Damp |
12 |
Independent Living |
60 |
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No Central Heating |
5 |
Social/Personal Needs |
10/25/40 |
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Care Arrangements: |
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Too few rooms- Overcrowding (per room short) |
25 |
Respite care |
10 |
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Access to Children (when room required) |
20 |
Severe Overcrowding (2+ overcrowding factors) |
10 extra |
Foster Care |
20 |
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Too many rooms - Under– Occupation |
5 |
Children’s Educational Needs |
5/20 |
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*awarded after medical assessment |
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Sharing Facilities |
6 |
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Management Needs |
Points |
Children’s Social Needs (garden/playspace) |
10/20 |
Awarded by Housing Managers for best use of stock |
120 |
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Lack of Security |
Points |
Lack of Security |
Points |
Tenancy Time Limited but (no Notice to quit/Notice to leave) |
5 |
Non Householder (single people or families living care of) |
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Not sharing a bedroom |
25 |
Notice to Quit/Notice to Leave: |
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Tied Accommodation |
75 |
Sharing a bedroom with a sibling |
25 |
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Short Assured Accommodation |
75 |
Sharing a bedroom with someone other than a sibling |
25 |
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HM Forces Discharge |
75 |
No bedroom |
25 |
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Tenants without a Lease |
25 |
No fixed abode |
25 |
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Owner Occupation Process of Re-possession/Advised to Sell |
25 |
Families with children overcrowded |
25 extra |
What is the Common Assessment of Need?
All of the Fife Housing Register partners have agreed a common assessment of need for assessing applications. This brings together the best parts of policy and practice within each of the partner organisations to make it simpler for applicants to understand and for staff to work with.
Through this, Fife Housing Register partners are committed to:
- Open and simpler access to housing for those who need to live in Fife
- The principle of equal opportunities
- Transparency and accountability in all aspects of the process
- The best use of housing to meet local needs and priorities
- Best value and making best use of resources
The Common Assessment of Need considers applicants who are:
- Homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
- Living in unfit housing
- Living in insecure housing
- Living in overcrowding conditions
- Victims of violence or harassment
- Having difficulties with their present home due to illness or disability
- Needing to move for social or employment reasons
- In homes that are too big for them
- Needing to move from other parts of the country as part of homeswapper
The CAON has been set out to make sure:
- Fife Housing register partners keep within the law
- Fife Housing register partners follow best practice
- Applicants can choose who they want to be housed by
- Applicants can have their housing needs considered thoroughly and preferences recorded
- The assessment process is comprehensive and fair
- The assessment of housing needs is linked to an assessment of other needs
- Partners can meet individual applicants’ priorities
Points are awarded in line with the assessed needs of the applicant.
Information about applicants is stored in a single database and organised into categories of:
- Urgent Housing Needs
- Poor Housing Circumstances
- Lack of Security
- Management of Needs
- Social and medical Needs
- Armed Forces
How will my application be reviewed?
You will be sent a review letter regularly to prompt you to tell us if any of your circumstances have changed and to find out if you want your Fife Housing Register application to stay on the housing list.
You must reply to the review, even if your circumstances have not changed. If you do not reply this could result in your application being closed.
What if my circumstances change?
If your circumstances change you should inform us as soon as you can either by logging into your application on FifeDirect and updating the relevant information or by calling 03451 55 00 33 or visiting one of the partner organisation offices to advise. Depending on the update you provide this could generate an automatic letter confirming when we update the information you have provided or it could prompt us to contact you for further information.
What if I no longer wish to stay on the housing list to be housed by a Fife Housing Register partner?
If you no longer wish to stay on the housing list you can click the “WITHDRAW” when signed into FifeDirect. Or you can ask for a withdrawal form at any of the partner offices so that you can sign to confirm that you want your application withdrawn.
Can I apply for a Mutual Exchange (Homeswap) when I have an Fife Housing Register application?
Yes, Mutual Exchange is a great option for council or housing association tenants.
Most Fife Housing Register partner landlords are now part of our Home Swap service. If you live in Fife and want to move in Fife applying for Home Swap may help you find a home that is better suited to your needs.
How will I know when there is a property available?
We will get in contact with you. It is important that your contact details, address, telephone number and email address are always up to date so that we can get in touch with you.
How long will I have to wait to get a new home?
This will depend on your points and your position on the housing list and the availability of your choice of house type in the areas you have chosen.
Properties are allocated on the basis of housing need and points are awarded for a range of circumstances e.g. overcrowding, current accommodation having an impact on medical condition.
We cannot give you a time you will have to wait for an offer. Your position on the list will change as people are housed and new people apply, so this makes it difficult to let you know when you will be housed.
Keeping your application up to date with any changes to your circumstances and responding to any contact we make ensures your application is always up to date.
What happens if I have rent arrears and have applied to be on the housing list?
If you have rent arrears from a current or previous tenancy we will suspend your application for housing. While your application is suspended you will not be made any offers of housing. To have your suspension removed you need to set up a payment plan with the landlord and have made payments for 3 months and be willing to continue to make payments. Once you have made payments for three months you can advise FHR.team@fife.gov.uk or visit/call any Customer Service Centre or any Housing Association partner office to advise. Your current or previous landlord will be contacted to confirm that this is the case. Once this is confirmed the suspension will be lifted and your application will be Live.
If you have outstanding charges for repairs this too can suspend your application and to have the suspension removed, similar to above a payment plan needs to be in place for 3 months before the application can be made Live again. The landlord will be contacted to confirm that this is the case.
What happens if I am not from the UK?
You will be asked to provide additional information to support your application. You will be advised of the information we require but depending on your circumstances it could include:
- 5 year address history
- Bank statements, proof of jobs applied for, proof of benefit, payslips
- Birth certificates, for you and household members
- Biometric residence permit
- Visa
- Home officer paperwork
We need this information to establish if you can have Fife Council added as a landlord option and if you are eligible to receive homelessness assistance, if relevant.
What happens if I am a UK citizen coming to live in the UK from abroad?
If you have lived outside the UK within the last two years you will be asked to complete a Habitual Residence Test form and provide additional information and proofs. The test is used to establish if you and your household members are habitually resident in the UK and have a right to reside in the UK.
You will be asked to provide proof such as your current UK passport, Notification of benefits, tax notifications. We use this information to assess if Fife Council can be added as a landlord option and if you are eligible to receive homelessness assistance, if relevant.
What happens to my application when I have been re-housed?
Once you have accepted an offer of housing your application status changes and all partners will no longer be able to offer you housing. You will no longer be on the Fife Housing Register housing list.
Where can I get advice and information on housing?
You can complete the Housing Options Self-Assessment from this website. It takes between 5 to 15 minutes to complete and provides you with a summary of the housing options that are suitable and affordable to you.
You can also get support and advice to complete your Fife Housing Register application form by attending a Housing Option Interview. You can arrange an interview by calling 03451 55 00 33 or visiting one of the partner offices to make an appointment.
In this section
Start your Application
To complete an online housing application you will need to register for a secure account on Fife Direct. If you already have an account, login in using your existing details.
If you already have an application and you need to update your circumstances, call us on 03451 55 00 33. Please do not submit a new application.
Apply for a home now