Housing information and advice for those detained in prison and people on remand

We recognise the difficulties faced by people in prison or on remand and will try our best to offer help, particularly with housing. However, there is very little Council, Housing Association or private accommodation in Aylesbury Vale for single people. Single people on our Housing & Transfer Register can wait a long time before being offered somewhere to live.

If at all possible, you should try to keep the accommodation you already have before being sentenced and placed on remand.

Remand prisoners

If you have accommodation in Aylesbury Vale at the time of being placed on remand it is important that you do all you can to make sure it is still available when you are released.

If you are on remand you can claim Housing Benefit for up to 52 weeks. However, if it becomes apparent that you will be away from your home for more than 52 weeks your Housing Benefit will be stopped immediately.

Convicted prisoners

If you are a sentenced prisoner, Housing Benefit will be paid for a maximum of 13 weeks and only if your sentence after remission is 13 weeks or less.

If your sentence is for more than 13 weeks including remission, no Housing Benefit can be paid.

If you already claim Housing Benefit

The Benefits Agency provides us with only limited information about your income and you being on remand or convicted. Therefore, it is important that you write to our Housing Benefit Section, Aylesbury Vale District Council, 66 High Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1SE, telling us the following.

Your changed circumstances.
Where you are.
The address you wish to claim for.
Whether you have been sentenced or are on remand.
The date you were sentenced and your release date (including remission).
The date you were remanded and, if you were sentenced, the date you were sentenced, the length of the sentence or your release date.

Finding private accommodation before release

You may be able to write to or telephone private landlords who are advertising vacancies to try and secure somewhere to live before you leave prison.

Local newspapers include:

The Bucks Herald - available on Wednesdays.
The Bucks Advertiser - available on Fridays.
The Buckingham & Winslow Advertiser - available on Fridays.
The Bucks Free Press - available on Thursdays.
The Citizen - available on Fridays.

For more information on finding private and social rented accommodation see the link below.

Advice Available

Our Housing Advisor can offer advice on local accommodation options and help with queries over tenancy options. The Housing Advisor can be contacted on 01296 585167 or write to Housing, 66 High Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1SE.

Also speak to your Probation Officer. Some Probation Services employ specialist Housing Advisors who could help you find somewhere to live. The details of other support and advice agencies that might be able to help can be find in our Housing Advice Directory. See the link below for the Housing Advice Directory.

Help paying your rent

You may be eligible for Housing Benefit to help you pay your rent. Housing Benefit only covers that part of the rent which relates to pure housing costs and will not cover charges for hot water, heating, lighting or water rates. This means even if you are eligible for housing benefit you may still have to pay some of the rent yourself.

The Housing Benefit section can advise you on the maximum rent they will cover for a property before you decide to rent it. This is called Pre-Tenancy Determination. This does not tell you how much you personally would receive as this depends on your circumstances, but it will give you an idea of whether the property is reasonably priced for the area. For people under 25 years of age, Housing Benefit is restricted to the cost of a room in a shared house.

Housing Benefit can be paid directly to your landlord. Many landlords do not know that Housing Benefit can go directly to them, so remember to discuss this with the prospective landlord / landlady. It may help you in securing accommodation.

If you find accommodation before you leave prison, you can make a claim for Housing Benefit for up to 4 weeks before you are released. It will only be paid from the date your new tenancy begins not the date you claim, but could help you secure a place to live in preparation for your release.

You can get advice on line from the Citizens Advice Bureau advice guide. For more information follow the link below.

For more information call 01296 585618 or email benefits@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

Applying for council or housing association property

There are limited vacancies in Council and Registered Social Landlord accommodation in Aylesbury Vale. Because of this we operate a points system to ensure that vacancies go to those people in greatest need.

To qualify for a Council home, you need to apply to join the Housing & Transfer Register by completing an application form.

Contact our Housing Needs and Advice team on 01296 585858 or follow the link below on How the Housing Register Works.

Shared Ownership

Most shared ownership schemes are run by Registered Social Landlords (Housing Associations). In certain cases, nominations may be made via the Housing & Transfer Register.

Shared ownership schemes enable you to buy a share of the property you are living in and pay rent on the other part. You may be able to buy more shares until you own the property outright. For further information on shared ownership schemes, please contact the Home Ownership Officer on 01296 585270.

Registered Social Landlords (housing associations)

Most Registered Social Landlords are non-profit making organisations and members of the National Housing Federation.

Ask us for a list of Registered Social Landlords in the Aylesbury Vale and surrounding areas.

You may personally approach a Registered Social Landlord to ask if you can go onto it's waiting list. Some Registered Social Landlords will accept direct applications without the support of the Council.

Date Updated: 21/11/08