An Introduction to extra care housing with Rapport Housing & Care
Our extra care housing is designed exclusively for people aged 55 and over, providing high quality homes and facilities to help maintain independence. According to the individual scheme location, homes are available to rent, on an affordable basis, or to purchase via a long lease. Leaseholders and Tenants have their own self-contained one or two-bedroom apartment, for which they have a lease or tenancy agreement with Rapport Housing & Care. Fixtures in apartments are designed to make life easier such as raised ovens and wet rooms. Additional housing support is provided and a lunch time meal is also provided. To be eligible to live in extra care housing, tenants must receive a minimum of 3.5 hours personal care and/or support, see below.
Communal facilities at extra care housing schemes usually include;
Landscaped communal gardens
Restaurant
Lounge areas
Hair salon/therapy room
Activities room
Mobility scooter storage
Lifts
Assisted bathroom and toilets
Off road car parking
Lettings and Sales
Lettings
Working in partnership with the local housing authority (District or Borough Council and Kent County Council) Rapport Housing & Care prioritises applicants for new tenancies in accordance with the following criteria:-
Priority 1 – Applicants reliant on benefit support or unable to meet their housing needs on the open housing market and with a local connection with the local housing authority where the accommodation is located
Priority 2 – Applicants reliant on benefit support or unable to meet their housing needs on the open housing market and with a local connection with Kent
Priority 3 – Applicants reliant on benefit support or unable to meet their housing needs on the open housing market with no local connection with Kent
Priority 4 - Applicants not reliant on benefit support and able to meet their housing needs on the open housing market and with a local connection with the local housing authority where the accommodation is located
Priority 5 – Applicants not reliant on benefit support and able to meet their housing needs on the open housing market and with a local connection with Kent
Priority 6 - Applicants not reliant on benefit support and able to meet their housing needs on the open housing market and with no local connection with Kent
Sales
Apartments are available for sale on a 125-year lease at some schemes either to purchase outright or as Older Persons Shared Ownership (OPSO).
OPSO is a Government funded scheme and to qualify purchasers cannot have a household income of more than £80,000 (Government current upper limit) per year and will need to demonstrate that they are utilising the majority of their capital resources to purchase an apartment including the sale of their current home where applicable. Priority for OPSO purchases is given to applicants with a connection with the local authority area.
Housing Support
Is available 24/7 (staff are awake on duty throughout the night) providing peace of mind and helping leaseholders and tenants stay safe and secure. There is a separate housing support charge for this service.
Staff provide support for example, by providing advice on access to benefits, reporting repairs and enabling access other services that may be needed. Help from a member of our housing team is also available in an emergency via a wireless pendant alarm, or by using one of the pull cords within each apartment. Housing support staff (if trained and it is appropriate to do so) may provide an individual with personal care in an emergency, for example, should you have a fall. However, tenants should be aware that to receive regular personal care from Rapport Housing & Care, this must be arranged as part of a personal care (domiciliary) plan.
Meals
Homemade hot meals are prepared daily by an onsite catering team and served in our communal restaurant. If tenant’s or leaseholders have particular dietary needs we will try to cater for them. There are charges for the meal service.
Domiciliary (Personal) Care
To be eligible to live in Rapport Housing & Care’s extra care housing leaseholders and tenants need to have a personal care and/or support need assessed at a minimum of 3.5 hours a week. Examples of personal care include support with bathing or getting dressed. Examples of personal support include help with domestic chores such as cleaning, or help to attend appointments. You may be paying for care and or support and/ or receiving it from a friend of relative.
The provision of personal care/support is not included in the lease or tenancy agreement. However personal care can be purchased separately from our on-site domiciliary care service, Caring Companions, which is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and will be covered under a separate arrangement to the lease or tenancy agreement with Rapport Housing & Care.
Before you move into the extra care housing scheme we consult with potential new leaseholders or tenants to ensure that, with an agreed level of personal care/support and the housing support we provide, the lease or tenancy will be successfully sustained.
We want all our leaseholders and tenants to choose extra care as their forever home; however, in a small number of cases it may be necessary to consider alternatives, where individuals become unable to sustain their agreements with us due to failing health for example. In such cases we work sensitively with each individual, their family, friends and carers to provide the best solution.
Getting Involved
Leaseholder and tenant involvement is important to us and regular meetings (at least quarterly) are held to review existing services and make changes where necessary, to ensure services are what is wanted and needed and also offer good value for money
Leaseholders and tenants can also join in social activities as much or as little as you want to. Many people have a busy social life and enjoy organising events and activities at each scheme. Information about what’s on is posted on notice boards and activities often include coffee mornings, afternoon teas, bingo, quizzes, book clubs, film events, craft sessions, keep fit, musical events and days out. There are several communal areas so there’s plenty of space and opportunity to get to know people.
Rent and Service Charges
Tenants pay a weekly rent set in accordance with Government requirements for registered housing associations.
Leaseholders who have purchased outright or through OPSO and where the maximum 75% share has been bought, do not pay a weekly rent but do pay an annual ground rent.
In addition, all accommodation based service charges for example for the cleaning of communal areas and gardening, Housing Management Charges and a Wellbeing Support Charge pays for the 24/7 personal emergency response service.
Leaseholders are also required to pay some additional charges relating to repairs and maintenance issues.
Agreements
Leaseholders have a long lease for their apartment and tenants are issued with an Assured Tenancy Agreement. Both agreements clearly explain Rapport Housing & Care’s responsibilities and those of the leaseholder and tenant. In addition, every leaseholder and tenant is issued with an extra care handbook.
Pets
Rapport Housing & Care has adopted a ‘positive pet policy’ Therefore whilst our written permission is needed to keep a cat or dog, permission will not be unreasonably withheld. You will however need to be able to demonstrate that you have robust pet care arrangements in place.