Is your home no longer meeting your needs?

As a Trent & Dove tenant, you can apply to move home if:

  • Your current home doesn’t meet your bedroom requirements
  • Your home doesn’t meet the medical needs of the people living in it, e.g., they need a ground floor apartment
  • Moving will enable you to sustain permanent employment
  • It will enable you to give or receive support.

You'll need to provide evidence that demonstrates your need to move.

Don’t meet the above criteria?

You can consider a mutual exchange. 

Previously assessed as having no housing need?

A new registration form should only be completed if your circumstances have changed so that you meet one of the criteria listed above.

Before you apply

To be considered for a transfer, you must show that you are meeting the terms and conditions of your tenancy agreement. Failure to meet these conditions may result in your request to transfer being refused.

The following information will help you to be 'transfer ready'.

What are my responsibilities?

To be considered for a transfer, you must show that you are meeting the terms and conditions of your tenancy agreement.

In particular your:

  • Rent account must be up to date. You must not owe any monies on this, or any previous home
  • Home must be maintained to a good standard, with no damage that your household or any visitors have
  • Garden should be tidy with any shrubs and trees maintained, and fences are intact
  • Home and garden should be free from any rubbish or unwanted items
  • Repairs will have been reported to Trent & Dove. Any repairs that are your responsibility will have also been carried out.

For more information on what repairs are your responsibility, visit our repairs  page.

What do I need to consider?

Moving home can be costly; please consider whether you are prepared for this and for the upheaval, especially if you are moving to a different area, as this can be unsettling.

If you are matched for a property you bid on, you may need to move a short notice.

We need to be able to let the home you are transferring from, to a household in need, as quickly as possible. This means you will need to:

  • Leave your home clean
  • Completely clear of all your belongings
  • Remove any rubbish or unwanted items
  • Return the keys to us soon after the above steps are completed.

Having your application for a transfer approved does not guarantee that you will be offered the opportunity to move. We have a high number of bids for most properties advertised, which means the wait to move can be quite long.

What will Trent & Dove do to help me?

We will:

  • Fully assess your application to transfer and process it in accordance with our  Allocations Policy 2021-2023
  • Carry out a pre-transfer inspection and advise you of any actions that you need to carry out, or evidence you need to provide
  • Provide support and advice to help you become ‘transfer ready’
  • Advise you as to the progress of your application and any changes to whether it is approved, on hold or refused.

How do I apply to transfer?

Once you have ensured you've met the requirements listed above and are eligible for transfer you will need to complete our housing application form which can be accessed through our customer "My Account" portal using the link below.

If your application for a transfer has previously been refused due to being assessed as having 'no housing need', please note that a new application should only be submitted if you have a change in your circumstances.

Housing application form  

I've applied, what happens next?

Once you're advised that your application is accepted you're then eligible to express an interest in advertised suitable homes via our Find a Home system

You'll also need to:

  • Allow access for an inspection of your home and garden ahead of any potential offer being made
  • Put right any alterations to your home if you've been advised that they need to be removed. You'll need to arrange for this work to be carried out to the required standard before you move
  • Continue to maintain your current home in accordance with your tenancy agreement (see ‘my responsibilities’ section above).

Failure to do this could mean that your request to transfer is refused.

Downsizing

Are you living in a home that is too large for your needs?

You may be if you are:

  • Paying to heat rooms that you do not use
  • Concerned you can’t afford to pay your household bills
  • Struggling to cope with a garden you no longer require
  • Affected by the bedroom tax.

If any of the above statements apply to you, then contact us to see if we can help you with:

  • Benefits advice
  • Moving to a smaller, more manageable home
  • Arranging a mutual exchange.

You can download a copy of this information here.