Before you apply

• Use a Benefit Calculator or the Benefit/Grant Finder.
• Apply for benefits through the Department for Work and Pensions.
• Contact your council to see if you can apply for Housing Benefit or Council Tax support.

If you're struggling, have a look at our list of helpful organisations.

• We need you to provide ID - alongside anybody else you're living with who is over the age of 18.
• UK resident? You'll need to show us your birth certificate, national insurance number or passport.
• If you're a resident of a different country, you'll need to show us your passport, national identity card or relevant letters from the Home Office. 
• We will take copies of any documents that you show us.

• We will ask for references from all previous landlords from at least the past 5 years. 
• If you have never rented before, we may ask for an employer or other relevant character reference.

We'll have an interview with you to make sure this home is right for you. 

Make sure you're open and honest with us, so we can give you any support that you need. 

We'll talk about your finances and help you understand whether you can afford your rent.

Once the property is empty, we'll start carrying out repairs to make sure it's ready for you. 

Then, we'll call you for a viewing - sometimes, the viewing may be at short notice since we need to work around these repairs. Please bear in mind:

• If you can't view the home, we won't be able to offer you the property.
• If you’ve been offered a new build home, we need to wait until it's fully complete before showing it you.

A Peaks & Plains staff member will take you around the home and this will give you a chance to have a look at sizing and layout. Remember that some works might still be in progress.

These are the next steps, depending on what you decide:

• If there are a lot of lengthy of repairs, we might  give you the option to decline the property and wait for a different one.
• If you don't want to live there, let us know as soon as you can.
• If you're happy with the property, we’ll arrange an appointment for you to sign your tenancy agreement, pay rent in advance and then get the keys to your new home! Make sure you find out what notice you need to give to your current landlord before moving. 

Don’t make any arrangements to move until we’ve confirmed a date - there can sometimes be unexpected delays.

Refusing our offer of a home might affect what other homes you're eligible for. Talk to your local council for more information about rejecting an offer.

All our homes are unfurnished. We don't include:

• Flooring or carpets
• White goods eg fridge 
• Blinds or curtains

Sometimes, the people who have just moved out of the property might leave their carpets. If they are in good condition, we'll leave them for you.

• Ideally, all repairs will be complete before you move into your home - but this isn't always possible.
• If there are small repairs that still need to be completed, we'll give you a date for when our repairs team will be dropping by. 
• Sometimes, we might delay small repairs so that you can move in as soon as possible.

• Once we know when your new home will be ready, we'll arrange an appointment with you.
• We'll talk about the tenancy agreement ( a document which explains both our responsibilities for your new home), show you a sign up checklist, and we'll answer your questions.
• We will ask you to sign up for our online customer account, a service that helps you pay rent once you've moved in.
• Last but not least, we'll ask you to visit our offices so that we can give you keys and other important information, like safety certificates.