What is sheltered housing?
Sheltered housing supports older people to live independently. It provides you with a secure tenancy in a 1 bedroom self-contained flat. Flats are grouped in small, low-rise blocks known as 'schemes'.
They come unfurnished and have their own front doors, kitchens, bathroom and lounge. Some have private gardens, and most have a communal lounge and garden, for socialising and relaxing.
Why choose sheltered housing?
- Optional weekly welfare checks by the sheltered housing officer for peace of mind and a sheltered housing officer is available for help and advice when you need it
- Some flats are adapted for disability
- Lift access to flats above ground
- 24-hour emergency assistance through a call button
- Use of communal facilities, in a safe and peaceful environment
- A self-service laundry facility
- Guest rooms are available at some of our schemes (reasonable charges apply)
- Shared residents' parking
- Video entry phone
- Sheltered housing offers you independence and choice, you can be involved as much, or as little as you like.
Our sheltered housing officers will facilitate regular coffee mornings, gardening clubs and other activities for residents.
Sheltered housing doesn't provide personal care, medical support or have on-site carers or nursing staff.
We are sometimes confused with care homes, that's not us! We have individual flats clustered together that share some communal facilities, to form a local neighbourhood.
What rights does a sheltered housing resident have?
All sheltered housing residents have a 'secure', also known as 'lifetime' tenancy, once they have been a council tenant for one year, and have the same rights as any other council tenant except:
- you cannot transfer the tenancy to anybody else, except a spouse or civil partner
- you do not have the right to buy your home.
How can I apply for sheltered council housing?
You can apply for sheltered housing if you:
- are a British citizen or have been granted refugee status or indefinite/exceptional leave to remain
- are aged over 60 years - this can be you or your partner
- are a resident of Hammersmith & Fulham
- have been a resident of the borough for five out of the last 7 years
- have been financially assessed as eligible.
Fill in our housing application form if you're interested to apply.
For further information or advice, please use our housing advice contact form.
Where can I move to in H&F?
When you apply for sheltered housing, you can put down your preferred choice of sheltered housing scheme.
View a map of all our sheltered housing schemes.
I own my own property - can I move into sheltered housing?
Under normal circumstances this would not be possible. However, we may consider allowing a private homeowner to move into sheltered housing in exchange for you allowing the council to rent out your property to families waiting for permanent housing.
You would still own your own property and have the option to move back into your own home if you wish. Contact us if you are interested in this as an option.
What does the sheltered housing officer do?
The sheltered housing officer is responsible for managing the building, all fire safety, health and safety and other day to day task. They will help you with managing and maintaining your tenancy, reporting repairs and can show you to how you can manage your rent account online.
They can also provide information about other council services and signpost you to help and advice.
Sheltered housing officers are also responsible for monitoring the wellbeing of individual residents through a weekly 'welfare checks' either through a door-step visit or over the phone.
They usually work Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
Emergency assistance in sheltered housing
Sheltered flats and the communal areas of schemes are fitted with an emergency alarm call system, so residents can get emergency help at any time of the day or night. The system is linked to our Careline service, which operates 24 hours a day.
Can I have pets in sheltered housing?
We will assess your request on application to ensure that we are able to manage this effectively.
How long do I have to wait to be moved?
This will be dependent on suitable accommodation being available and your application process. We will always provide you with information about the progress of your application.
Speak to a member of our supported moves team by emailing supported.moves@lbhf.gov.uk or phone the duty line on 020 8753 4390.
Can I do a mutual exchange in sheltered housing?
Yes, you can swap with another sheltered resident in Hammersmith & Fulham.
You could also swap to sheltered housing outside H&F provided you qualify for sheltered housing in the area you're moving to.