Housing services for young people
Content owner : young.tenants@knh.org.uk Last updated : 09/11/11
Our aim is to contribute to one of Kirklees Council’s key priorities: Enhanced Life Chances for Young People.
The KNH Young People’s Tenancy Service aims to support young people into adulthood by creating successful, long-lasting tenancies.
We specifically help young tenants aged 16 and 17 work towards the five Every Child Matters Outcomes i.e. Staying Safe, Being Healthy,
Achieving Economic Well-being, Making a Positive Contribution and Enjoying and Achieving.
If you are aged 18 to 24, have been offered a council tenancy and feel that you need extra help, KNH neighbourhood teams
can refer you to the Council’s Tenancy Support Service or another local support provider. KNH also has an Outreach Team
who can help you get into training or employment.
Housing services helping young people
Frequently asked questions
Q. I am homeless, what do I do?
If you are aged 16 or 17, with or without children, or are a single person aged 18-24, you need to speak to the Young People's Tenancies Team on 01924 324748. They are based in Dewsbury Town Hall and are part of Kirklees Council’s Housing Options & Support Service. They will assess your housing and support needs.
Q. Can I get a KNH tenancy at 16?
You are not allowed a tenancy in your own right until you are 18. However, if you are assessed by Kirklees Council, and are found to be homeless, we may be
able to offer you an Equitable Tenancy. This type of tenancy is held ‘in trust’ for you until your 18th birthday. To get one of these tenancies you will
need to have a responsible adult willing to act as your trustee.
They will sign the tenancy agreement with you. They will have to be willing to
accept any notices or demands for payment relating to the tenancy. The trustee should ideally be one of your parents or another relative.
Q.Is there any extra help for me if I get a KNH tenancy?
If you are aged 16 or 17 your tenancy will automatically be managed by the KNH Young People's Tenancies Team. Their dedicated officers will show you round your prospective new home and will explain the different help that’s available.
Q.I don’t have any furniture. What do I do?
If you have no furniture of your own, and you are 16 or 17, KNH Young People's Tenancies Team can rent you a basic,
furniture pack for your new home. You have to rent this pack for a minimum of 3 years and, no matter how long you rent it,
the items will never belong to you. When you move on from the property you will have to leave the items behind.
If you have the odd item, but not enough to set up home with, we can make a referral to the Think Smart Recycle Scheme. This scheme is open
to any age group and delivers second hand furniture to your new home. You don’t have to pay rent for these items and they are yours to keep forever.
The other thing you can do is apply for a Community Care Grant; your tenancy support worker will help you fill out the form.
Q.Will I get any other help? What does a tenancy support worker do?
We recognise how scary it can be moving into your first home so we try and give you as much support as possible. If you are 16 or 17
we make sure you have a tenancy support worker to help you at the beginning.
They will help you set up utility accounts
(e.g. gas, electric, water) and will help you with household budgeting amongst other things.
You can also get tenancy if you are 18 to 25; you just need to ask the member of staff that deals with your
offer of accommodation in our neighbourhood office. Tenancy support can last anything from a couple of weeks to 2 years,
depending on how much help you need.
Q.So what does the KNH Young People's Tenancies Team do?
Apart from showing you round your new property and renting you a furniture pack, if you need it, we
co-ordinate the involvement of other services if you have additional needs e.g. drug/ alcohol problems
or if you are suffering harassment. We aim to visit you a minimum of four times in your first year to
check that you are okay. We will let you know about training courses and volunteering opportunities
and once a year we will hold a celebration event for all our tenants.
A member of our team will be your
housing officer until you leave the property or turn 19 (whichever happens first).
depending on how much help you need.
Q.What do I do if I want to move out?”
It is really important that you end your tenancy properly. You must give at least 4 weeks’ notice and provide KNH with your forwarding address. To make it easy we have a form that you fill in. Just ask your housing officer for a “Notice of Termination Form”. When your end date arrives, you need to leave your property clean and empty (apart from the furniture pack, if you’ve been renting one) and hand your keys in to your local KNH neighbourhood office.
