FAQs

For our rented properties that are for households (tenants) aged 18+ we only advertise any vacancies and take nominations from BCP Home Choice for properties in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, or the Dorset Council Housing Register for our properties in the Milborne St Andrew and Wimborne areas.

For our rented properties that are for households (tenants) aged 60+ in Bournemouth we hold a waiting list. You can download an application (available here) or you can ring us for more information on 01202 671222. Please note that to be considered you must have a residential and/or family and/or work connection within the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council administrative area, not have the financial means to secure yourself suitable accommodation in the private sector, and must be capable of independent living with any care/support arrangements being made by yourself.

For our rented properties that are for households (tenants) aged 60+ in Ringwood, you can contact us for an application form and further details. You can also contact New Forest District Council’s Homesearch team to find out more about other properties available in Ringwood. Information about our Ringwood properties can be found on our information and downloads page. Please note that to be considered you must have a residential and/or family and/or work connection within the Parish of Ringwood administrative area, not have the financial means to secure yourself suitable accommodation in the private sector, and must be capable of independent living with any care/support arrangements being made by yourself.

If you are one of our tenants, you can contact us on 01202 671222 to receive an application form to register to go onto the transfer list to move to one of our alternative properties when they become empty and available. Please note to actively be considered for a vacancy you must have complied with your tenancy conditions, including ensuring that your rent account is up-to-date. You will also be charged the full rent and any service and support charges on the property that you move into and for the notice period required for the property you are leaving. If you are in receipt of Housing Benefit Allowance or Universal Credit you will need to apply for benefit on both homes, which is at the Benefit Agency's discretion as to whether they will pay this.

Legally to end a weekly tenancy you (the tenant) need to provide four full weeks' written notice to the Registered Office which ends on a Sunday and must be in writing and signed by the tenant(s).

For monthly tenancies you must give a full calendar months' notice in writing which must be signed by the tenant(s).

In the event of the tenant passing away the tenancy does not end and legally it passes to the next-of-kin who then must give four weeks' notice for weekly tenancies and one month for monthly tenancies in writing (signed) to the Registered Office.

IMPORTANT - Please note that verbal notice is not a legally acceptable means of ending a tenancy. We must receive a note signed by the tenant or next-of-kin with his/her signature. Scanned notices or emails are not legally acceptable.

Once we receive your notice we will be in contact to discuss arrangements and assist you through the process.

Please note that if you or your relative (tenant) who passed away was on benefits those benefits will normally stop before the notice period expires although you are still liable for the full rent payment during the notice period.

Unless you give written notice or the property is sold, only a county court possession order can end the tenancy or lease.

We will normally then arrange to inspect the property before the tenancy ends to make you aware of anything that you may be liable and recharged for if the property is not returned in a reasonable, lettable condition. We will check the property again when we receive the keys and update you with any changes to that.

All keys should be labelled and returned to the Registered Office unless otherwise directed.

If you manage to return the keys early and we are able to re-let the property within the notice period, you will only be charged rent and service charges up until the date the property is re-let.

You should only make cheques payable to Sandbourne Housing Association.

Anyone who pays us by Direct Debit, that has been arranged by us, will be unaffected and does not need to do or change anything; you will be made aware of any changes and what they are.

If we owe you money and need to refund you, we prefer to pay straight into a bank account and will not send a cheque unless there is no reasonable alternative available.

You can also pay your rent and/or service charge by a variety of other methods:

• by using the 'allpay' payment card that you would have been provided with shortly after you moved in. That card can be used at any post office and/or outlet that accepts 'PayPoint' payments (remember to keep any receipt as your proof of payment).
• by contacting us on 01202 671222, or email us at info@sandbourne.org.uk, to ask to arrange to pay by direct debit.
• by contacting us on 01202 671222, or email us at info@sandbourne.org.uk, to ask for our banking details to pay by internet banking.
• by contacting us on 01202 671222, or email us at info@sandbourne.org.uk, to request a new 'allpay' payment card (free of charge) which will be posted to you directly by allpay to be with you within five working days.
• by paying over the internet by www.allpay.net although you will need to have your 'allpay' rent payment card and a valid debit or credit card. The debit or credit card can be that of a relative or friend, etc., who is paying on your behalf.
• by ringing allpay direct (24 hours a day 365 days a year) on 0330 041 6497, although you will need to have your 'allpay' rent payment card and a valid debit or credit card. The debit or credit card can be that of a relative or friend, etc, who is paying on your behalf.
• by downloading the free 'allpay' mobile application (App) on your Apple or Android smartphone. You will need to have your 'allpay' rent payment card and a debit or credit card to hand to do this.

For safety and security reasons we prefer our staff not to handle cash unless there is no other reasonable alternative.

Please keep any receipt as your proof of payment.

You will need to write in or email us at info@sandbourne.org.uk to seek permission to have a pet. A leaflet, containing a request form, can be obtained from the Registered Office by ringing 01202 671222, or from the downloads and information page of this website. Each request will be considered on its own merit. The presumption is that we should say 'yes' unless there is a very good reason to say 'no' in which case we will explain to you why not. Please allow 28 days for us to consider any request. You will receive written confirmation of our decision. Do not take on a pet unless you have received permission as this is a breach of your agreement.

You must write into us or email us at info@sandbourne.org.uk with details of what you are intending to do, why and when. You will normally be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and/or repair. You will also normally be responsible for the re-instatement of any improvements/alterations after you leave. The exception to this is if the adaptation was funded as a Disabled Facilities Grant by the local council. We may need to visit your home to assess what you are intending to do. The presumption is that we should say 'yes' unless we have a very good reason to say 'no'. You should allow us 28 days to make any decision and notify you of that decision in writing. Do not make improvements unless you have received our written permission first as this is a breach of your agreement. Please see our leaflet on Home Improvements.

You must first seek the permission of all the landlords involved in the process in writing and/or email us as your landlord at info@sandbourne.org.uk. You must not move until you have received a letter from all landlords involved to approve any exchange. If you move before having been given written permission, you could be required to return to and can even lose your home. From receiving an application, landlords legally have 42 days in which to make and notify you of their decision. There are important considerations that you will need to be aware of as part of this process. You will be made aware of these when you apply.

You will normally be provided with one each quarter if you are a tenant.

You can request a statement, free of charge, at any time by ringing us on 01202 671222 or by emailing us on info@sandbourne.org.uk. Please let us know the 'to' and 'from' date range that want the statement to cover.

We can normally only send a statement to the named tenant/leaseholder on the tenancy/lease unless we have your written consent on file to provide one to someone else or you are the next-of-kin of a resident who has passed away and you are dealing with their affairs.

Please note that it may be a few working days before any payment that is made appears on the statement.

You will need to write to us at the Registered Office address and/or email us at info@sandbourne.org.uk.

You will need to ring the Registered Office on 01202 671222 who will be able to arrange this for you.

There are certain conditions that need to be met which include:

• Communal lounges are available for the use of all residents, although normally priority will be given to residents living at the scheme in which the lounge is located.
• We do not allow the lounges to be used for private functions including, for example, residents' or their relatives' birthday parties unless all residents are genuinely welcome to attend.
• We will consider allowing the lounges to be used for charity fund raising events but not for political activities or activities that we consider are inappropriate.
• Pets are not allowed into the communal lounge/kitchen/laundry areas unless they are officially recognised Guide Dogs for the Blind, or similar and or there is a specific event that we have agreed to such as 'Pets As Therapy'.
• There is normally no charge to use the lounges. These are located at the Craigleith and Woodlands developments in Bournemouth.
• The organiser of the event is responsible for the organising, running and the conduct of all persons attending an event.
• The security of the building and fire safety must not be compromised and there should not be a nuisance caused to residents.
• The organiser of the event must ensure that they leave the lounge as they would have expected to have found it and that activities start and end at a reasonable time.
• Non-residents who are attending should not park on site.

Each application to use the lounge will be considered on its own merits.

Please note that communal lounges are booked on a first come first served basis although there are a number of regular events which take place to which all residents are welcome to attend.

As one of our residents if you wish to have a friend or relative visit you we have a number of guest rooms that can be booked. This is on a first come first served basis. Stays should not normally be longer than 2 weeks and, as the tenant, you are responsible for the payments and for the conduct of your guests.

Guest rooms should be considered as and be thought of and used as an additional en-suite bedroom to your home. They all have beds and a shower/bathroom. You are expected to provide your own bedding/bed linen and towels etc.

There are other conditions which you will need to sign up to, such as, there are no licences for watching live TV, no pets (eg dogs, with the possible exception of assistance dogs) are allowed and you should not cook in guest rooms or the communal lounges. Your guests should behave in a reasonable manner due to there being elderly and/or frail neighbours etc.

If you wish to book a guest room, please ring the Registered Office on 01202 671222.

Guest rooms are located at Woodlands, Milne Court, Craigleith and at Harcourt Grange — all are in Bournemouth.

There is currently a £20.00 per room over-night charge from October 2015 which is normally non-refundable and payable at the time of booking.

If we have an emergency, eg a flood in a flat, which means that we need to use a guest room, we reserve the right to cancel a booking and will refund the fee paid.

Important
We do not have staff available at weekends and you should give us as much notice as possible to make a booking. We cannot guarantee making a booking at short notice, eg ringing us on a Friday for that weekend, as we need to undertake checks/cleaning and there may not be staff available at short notice.