Housing help & advice
Housing help & advice
Advice and information on buying your home, making repairs and keeping it warm. Also find out what to do if you are threatened with homelessness.
Buying a home
There are different schemes available to help you buy your home depending on your circumstances.
Help to buy a home
The government has created the help to buy scheme that helps you buy your own home.
Whether you want to get onto the housing ladder, or move up it, the scheme makes it possible to buy a new-build home priced up to £600,000 with as little as a 5% deposit.
North East, Yorkshire & Humberside is the help to buy agent for Northumberland.
Go to the government help to buy website here
Right to buy a home
The right to buy scheme helps social tenants in England buy their own council home at a discount.
If you are a council tenant, or were living in your own home when the council transferred it to another landlord, you may be able to buy your own home.
Visit the right to buy website here.
Local lend-a-hand mortgage
Local lend-a-hand is a partnership between Lloyds Bank and Northumberland County Council. The local authority provides a cash-backed indemnity as additional security for the mortgage.
This extra security means that Lloyds can offer you a mortgage of up to 95% of your first home's value.
Visit the Lloyds Bank website.
Home improvements & repairs
There may be financial help available for homeowners to fund adaptations, home improvements and repairs.
Disabled facilities grants (DFG)
If you have a disability or illness, making daily life difficult, you may benefit from having your home adapted to help you carry on with life independently.
We can help you access the support and services you need. Please contact adult social care for an assessment:
Telephone: 01670 536400
For more information, please view our 'disabled facilities grant' booklet, which briefly outlines available help and grant applications.
Keeping your home warm
We work closely with partners to promote energy efficiency that helps keep your house warm.
Find out if your home will benefit
There are various ways to check if your property could benefit from energy-saving improvements:
- use an online tool, e.g. the stroma certification tool
- talk to a green deal assessor or provider
- use the energy grants calculator
- talk to energy savings advice service
The green deal may be right for you if you think your property could benefit from energy-saving improvements.
Community energy online
Community energy provides information for groups who may want to set up a community energy project. There is support and advice to help available.
The Energy Savings Trust focuses on promoting the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. You can find free advice and information on their website, or contacting them:
Telephone: 0800 512 012
Energy advice
For impartial and independent energy advice to help you reduce your energy bills and make your home warmer visit Simple Energy Advice
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