Accommodation Certification
Are you sponsoring someone to come into the
country and live with you permanently or for a short period? Do you
need a letter from the council confirming that your
accommodation/property is suitable for that relative or friend to
live in?
Private Sector Housing can undertake an assessment of your
homes to assess its suitability for additional family members,
friends, and students etc to live in for home office/visa/entry
clearance purposes.
To arrange an assessment a response/enquiry form must be
completed together with the payment of the fee charged for this
service, which is currently £100.00. The forms may be
picked up from Peterborough Direct at Bayard Place, Broadway,
Peterborough. The fee can be paid at the
Council's cash office in Bayard Place. Cheques must be made payable
to Peterborough City Council.
The completed form will be over-printed with your proof of
payment. The form should then be taken to the Peterborough City
Council reception at Bayard Place on Broadway, and you should
contact Private Sector Housing on 01733 742583 and request an
appointment for the assessment to be arranged. Generally an
appointment can be arranged within 28 days of receipt of the form.
After the inspection has been carried out a written report of the
assessment will be sent to you within 10 days of the visit.
The inspection will involve an officer assessing the condition
of the property to establish whether it meets the fitness for
habitation standards as per the Housing Act 1985 and new
Decent Homes Standard. During the inspection the
officer will measure habitable rooms such as living rooms, dining,
and study rooms to calculate the maximum permitted number of
persons able to live in the property, as a single
household, avoiding statutory overcrowding in the
property.
Once an appointment has been arranged please ensure that the
officer can gain access to all of the property and that the
enquirer/sponsor is present at the property at the time of the
inspection
If the property should fail the fitness standard you will be
advised what works need to be carried out in order that the
property can be made fit and suitable to live
in. These works will need to be satisfactorily
attended to before the Council can confirm that the property is
suitable.
If the property would become statutorily overcrowded as a
result of the person/s moving in then you may have to find
alternative accommodation for the person/s being sponsored to live
in.
Once an officer has carried out an assessment the fee can not
be refunded. A new application will need to be completed for
other properties and a fee is chargeable for each
application.