Introducing the Housing Team
Whether you are looking for an affordable home to rent or buy, have concerns about becoming homeless, or are a landlord looking for advice about housing standards, we offer a full range of support.
If you have a home which needs to have adaptations made so you can continue to live there, or to make a home you own more energy efficient; we may be able to help. We’re sharing a little of what we do here, but look on our website for more information.
Energy Efficiency Again
If you live in a cold home there may be funding available to help pay for insulation, heating and hot water provisions and other energy efficiency measures for your home.
In-house funding:
- Energy Efficiency Assistance: available to help fund energy efficiency measures up to a value of £3,500 in properties with an EPC rating of D, E, F or G. Loft and cavity wall insulation are prioritised, and once these measures have been undertaken (where possible), we then consider further measures such as heating and hot water provision and repairs, and the replacement of windows and doors.
- Warm Homes Assistance: for any person with a long-term medical condition, living in a cold home. Up to £7,000 is available to fund provision of central heating and boiler repair or replacement. There is no requirement for a financial assessment however a health professional will need to complete a referral form.
Central Government schemes:
- Great British Insulation Scheme: if you live in a home with an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G, or your home is in Council Tax bands A–D you may be eligible to get free or cheaper insulation to reduce your home’s energy bills. To check your eligibility and to apply for the scheme please go to the 'Apply for support from the Great British Insulation Scheme' page of the Gov.uk website.
- Solar Together Kent: a solar panel and battery storage group-purchase scheme which allows residents and small businesses to install solar panels on their homes and businesses at an affordable price. If you are considering whether to have solar panels and/or battery storage fitted, you can register your interest for a forthcoming sale at the 'Solar Together Tunbridge Wells Borough Council' website.
Some recent achievements
Bringing empty homes back into use
We provide loans to assist owners to return long-term empty properties back into use. All loans are repayable and will be secured through a charge on the property. Loans are interest free and up to £20,000 may be available for the renovation or conversion of long-term empty properties to use as affordable housing. Loans are provided on condition that we receive tenant nomination rights for three years. The rent is set at the Local Housing Allowance rate and the loan is repayable on sale of the property.
We also work in partnership with Kent County Council's No Use Empty initiative which provides a loan scheme to create new, quality, and sustainable accommodation.
Loans are:
- interest free subject to conditions
- available in units of £25,000 up to a maximum of £175,000 per applicant to renovate or convert properties empty for more than six months
- loans for properties to let are repayable within three years
- loans for sale are repayable within two years
- A loan guidance booklet is available at no-use-empty.org.uk
For further information please contact privatesectorhousing@tunbridgewells.gov.uk.