This page contains advice about finding housing in East Staffordshire including Burton and Uttoxeter.
On this page:
- Young People
- Older People
- Budgeting
- Renting in the Private Sector
- Renting from Housing Associations
- Low Cost Home Ownership - Homebuy - Shared Ownership and Shared Equity
- Buying
- Other options
Please note that the Council does not own any housing itself.
If you think you are going to lose your current home see Losing your Home.
Young People
Make sure you get the facts before leaving home. For advice about problems with family or carers see here. See the Shelter website for advice about leaving home. If you have a Connexions Personal Advisor why not discuss things with them. If your parents have already thrown you out see homelessness. For advice about housing available in East Staffordshire see below, but note that it is likely to be difficult to find somewhere.
Parents: As well as the advice above see also the Got a Teenager website for advice and support and details of the Parent Line Plus 24 hour helpline.
Older People
For advice about housing and care options visit First Stop.
Several housing associations have specialist accommodation for older people and it can be easier to secure than other social rented housing, so it is worth applying. To apply for rented housing see Apply for Housing.
Almshouses are an option to consider. For the Almshouses in Burton see Consolidated Charity.
Budgeting
If you live in a self-contained home you will normally have to pay bills for Council tax, water and sewage, gas and electricity. In shared accommodation these costs are often included in the rent. You will also need to pay for telephone or internet service charges, and a TV licence. It is wise to make sure you have contents insurance. For details of current annual Council Tax charges see here.
If you smoke, think how much money you would save by quitting. Contact Time to Quit free on 0800 0434304 or see smokefree for help.
Renting in the Private Sector
The private sector provides the largest amount of accommodation available to rent in East Staffordshire. One advantage of the private rented sector is that accommodation is often available immediately. However, it can be very difficult to find somewhere, particularly if you will need Housing Benefit or if you have a history of rent arrears or anti-social behaviour. If you have a poor credit history then a letting agent will typically want you to have a Guarantor - someone in work who agrees to pay the rent if you don't.
Costs
You will need to be able to pay the rent, normally a month in advance. The following table gives an indication of how much rent you may have to pay in most of East Staffordshire, including Burton and Uttoxeter.
| Room in a shared home |
£55 |
£65 |
£80 |
£240 |
£280 |
£350 |
| 1 bedroom home |
£70 |
£90 |
£100 |
£300 |
£390 |
£430 |
| 2 bedroom home |
£80 |
£110 |
£140 |
£350 |
£480 |
£600 |
| 3 bedroom home |
£100 |
£135 |
£200 |
£430 |
£580 |
£870 |
| 4 bedroom home |
£135 |
£170 |
£230 |
£580 |
£740 |
£1000 |
There are also often one-off costs to pay:
- To rent through an agent you will normally have to pay a fee which includes a Credit Reference Check.
- You will normally be asked to pay a deposit and one month's rent in advance. If you have an urgent housing need the Council has a scheme which may be able to help you with these costs; see Rent Deposit and Other Costs. If you don't need to move immediately then start saving eg open a savings account with a bank or Money Spider Credit Union.
Help with the cost of rent
If your income is low you may be entitled to Housing Benefit. If you will need Housing Benefit, you need to find out the maximum amount - called the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate - which will apply to you before you look for a home.
- If you are single and under 35 you are normally entitled to the Shared Accommodation Rate. You should be able to pay more than this Rate for a room because room rent normally includes bills and services which you are expected to pay for out of your other income. Hence you may be able to afford rent for a room that is 25% higher than the Shared Accommodation Rate. The same does not apply to self-contained accommodation because you will have to pay the bills yourself. Self-contained accommodation is unlikely to be available at the Shared Accommodation Rate, so you will probably have to find shared accommodation.
- For other households the LHA rate which applies to you depends on your bedroom entitlement which you can calculate here. You should look for a property with rent that is no higher than the LHA rate for your household.
- The current LHA rates (2012-13) for East Staffordshire are:
| Shared Accommodation Rate |
£68.12 |
£295 |
£57.73 |
£250 |
| 1 bedroom rate |
£86.54 |
£375 |
£81.92 |
£355 |
| 2 bedroom rate |
£111.92 |
£485 |
£103.85 |
£450 |
| 3 bedroom rate |
£126.92 |
£550 |
£121.15 |
£525 |
| 4 bedroom rate |
£156.92 |
£680 |
£155.77 |
£675 |
1 including Stanton and Wootton. 2 except Ramshorn.
Note that the Local Housing Allowance rates are set at what is called the 30th percentile, lower than the medium cost rents shown above.
Many landlords and agents are reluctant to let to people who rely on Housing Benefit and they may advertise saying No Housing Benefit or No DSS. It can still be worth asking them - if they are struggling to find a tenant they may be prepared to change their mind. They may want your Housing Benefit to be paid directly to them, and this is sometimes possible but not always; speak to Benefits if you would like this to be considered. A landlord may be reassured if you have a separate bank account just for your Housing Benefit and rent and if you pay your rent by direct debit; speak to a bank or Money Spider Credit Union - for details about basic bank accounts see here.
Finding a home
To find a home you can:
- Look out for advertisements in the local newspapers. The Burton Mail advertises properties to rent (and to buy) on a Thursday. The Uttoxeter Advertiser comes out on a Wednesday.
- Look for advertisements in local shops - this may be the only place that private landlords are advertising. Ask friends and family to look out for you as well.
- Approach local letting agents. You can find details of agents by searching on the internet eg enter something like letting agents Burton. You can use computers for free at the Council's Customer Service Centres in Burton and Uttoxeter.
- Letting agents may have boards on houses that are available.
- Look on the internet. A site that claims to search other sites is home.co.uk. Most letting agents in the Borough advertise on rightmove.co.uk and some on zoopla.co.uk, globrix.com and prime location. There are other sites as well, but be aware that private landlords may not be advertising on the internet. For maximum coverage do an internet search.
- See Find a Room for rooms in shared houses.
- There are also specialist sites advertising housing for students; to find sites search for something like student housing on the internet.
- On some websites you can record that you are looking for somewhere so that landlords can contact you.
You should then arrange to view an available property. There should not be a charge for property details or a viewing.
Here are some things to check:
- What type of heating is provided? (Gas central heating will be cheaper than electric heating)
- Does the heating system work?
- Is there an adequate kitchen and bathroom?
- Does everything work in the kitchen and bathroom?
- Ask the landlord for the Gas Safe Safety Record - required by law - showing that the gas system has been checked by a competent person (a Gas Safe registered fitter) within the last 12 months.
- Ask the landlord for the Energy Performance Certificate - required by law. The higher the rating the less it will cost you to run the home.
- If the property has 3 or more storeys and is occupied by 5 or more tenants does it have an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) licence?
Taking on a tenancy
It is best to obtain a written tenancy agreement because this will help if there are any disputes in the future or if you need to apply for Housing Benefit. You should always insist on a receipt for any cash you pay. If you will pay rent weekly the law says you must receive a rent book to record payments.
The law requires landlords to use a tenancy deposit protection scheme to safeguard any deposit you pay and says they must give you evidence showing which scheme they are using within 30 days, so make sure you get this from them (does not apply if you share the landlord's home).
Good landlords will provide a list of what is included in the property (an Inventory) and its condition at the start of the tenancy. If the landlord does not provide these things it is worth making a record yourself to help if there are disputes about damage when the tenancy ends.
Renting from a Housing Association - social housing
11 Housing Associations provide about 6,000 homes in the Borough, but fewer than 500 homes become available in a typical year and they are offered to people with the greatest need. There are currently around 2,000 applicants on the housing register waiting for social housing. Hence people normally have to wait many months or years before they are offered a home. Even when you are offered a home it is not normally available for several weeks, so social housing is almost never an immediate option. You are likely to be excluded if you have a history of rent arrears or antisocial behaviour. For more details see Apply for Housing.
For details about applying directly for Housing Association housing see Housing Associations.
Low Cost Home Ownership - Homebuy - Shared Ownership and Shared Equity
Even if you think you can't afford to buy a home, you may be able to! Homebuy offers ways to own a home if you can't afford to buy a property at normal prices. In this area Homebuy is organised by Orbit. You can find full details on-line at Orbit homebuy agents or by phoning 0345 8 50 20 50.
Buying
There is a wide choice of homes to buy in East Staffordshire. Some homes in Burton and Uttoxeter are comparatively cheap and attractive to first time buyers, but there is also a large choice of higher cost housing which is attractive to higher earners. The main estate agents covering East Staffordshire are found in Burton upon Trent and Uttoxeter.
You may be able to buy new housing with just a 5% deposit under the Government's New Buy scheme - details here.
Other options
Because it can be difficult to find somewhere new, it is normally best, if safe, to do everything you can to try and stay put or to go back to your previous accommodation. For advice see Losing your Home.
If you are unable to live independently without advice and guidance, supported housing sometimes becomes available. For more information see Housing Options - details below.
Further advice
For more advice about finding somewhere to live contact the Council's Housing Options service:
- Tel or text: 01283 508120 and we will be pleased to call you back (during office hours)
- Email your question to housingoptions@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
- Visit Housing Options at the Customer Service Centre in the Market Place, Burton, or at Uttoxeter Library, High Street, Uttoxeter