We’ve written to customers in Whitstable to let you know that we’re thinking about selling some homes, including our shares in some shared ownership homes.
Why we’re considering this sale
There isn’t enough affordable housing for all the people who need it in our communities. At Hyde, one of our aims is to build more homes and to help to solve the UK’s housing crisis.
One way we can do this is by selling some homes to other registered providers and reinvesting the money into building new affordable homes. So, we’ll be able to give some of the thousands of people who need a home somewhere to live.
What this means for you
You do not need to move out - your home is not at risk.
Your tenancy or lease agreement stays the same - it is a legal document. It would transfer to any new landlord and they would follow the same conditions.
You’d still receive repairs and neighbourhood services - Even if your landlord does change, they must keep providing repairs, estate and other services.
The new landlord wouldn’t be a private landlord - If we sell, it will only be to a registered housing provider like Hyde. They’d also be regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing and would meet the same standards of services.
Your rent and service charges won’t increase just because of this change – Your rent would continue to be reviewed in line with your tenancy or lease agreement. Service charges are directly related to the costs of services you receive and will continue to vary year on year.
If you’re a shared owner, the percentage you own of your home wouldn’t be affected - It would only affect the shares that we currently own. And if you can staircase now, you’ll still be able to.
What happens next
We’ve not made a final decision on whether we’re selling these homes yet.
Before we do that, we’ll run a formal consultation so we can hear your views, answer your questions and understand any of your concerns.
We’ll write to you with full details when this starts.
If you have questions
Please see our FAQs below, and if you have any other questions, fill in our online form.
FAQs
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Who will the new landlord be?
We’re looking at different options and will share information with you about this as part of the consultation.
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When would the sale happen?
We won’t know until we’ve made a final decision. As soon as we know we’ll let you know. For now, your services will continue as normal.
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How will the consultation work?
You will be able to give feedback by:
- Filling in a feedback form
- Joining a meeting
- Speaking to us directly.
The consultation will last four weeks and we’ll contact you with full details about it when it begins.
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What will happen to my housing services and management of my property?
Any new landlord will have to provide similar services and standards. We’ll share more details with you about this as part of the consultation.
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I have rent arrears with a payment plan – what happens?
Any arrears will transfer to the new landlord and they will make sure you have a plan in place to pay back the arrears.
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Will I still get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit?
Yes. You can continue to claim as normal. If you get Universal Credit, you’ll need to let them know if your landlord changes.
You don’t need to do anything yet. We’ll help you with this when you need to make changes.