How it works
From one form to your front door
This page is the whole picture: what we ask you for, what we never ask for, who decides, and what happens to your rent over time. If something here is unclear, ask us before you apply.
What this is
A private tenancy, with someone in your corner
You are not joining a housing program in the usual sense. You sign a normal tenancy agreement with the building's landlord, in your own name, for a home you have seen. What SSAHS adds is the part that is usually missing: someone who vouches for you when credit history gets in the way, and someone who stays in contact once you are in.
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Your name is on the lease. The tenancy is between you and the landlord, and SSAHS is not your landlord.
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Rent starts below market, because part of it is covered by funding we raise during your first years rather than by you paying more later.
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You never pay SSAHS a fee. Building owners pay for the screening, the placement and the support that follows.
What happens next
The path from your form to a home
Four steps, in this order. It moves quickly when there is a home available that fits your household; if there is not, everything up to the third step still happens and you go on the list.
1
You send one form
About five minutes, no documents, and no credit check required. You tell us how to reach you, who would live in the home, and what your housing situation is now. Nothing you send commits you to anything.
2
A person reads it and talks to you
Not a scoring system. We ask about your household, what you can afford and what you need from a home, and you can ask us anything. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you somewhere better.
3
We check what we need to check
Your current housing situation, and whether a particular building and home would work for your household. Income is looked at flexibly, including informal or cash income. A credit check is optional, and you are never required to provide one.
4
You see the home, then the landlord decides
We show you the unit and, if it fits, put you forward to the landlord's leasing team with what they need. They make the final decision, and we will never tell you that you are in until they do.
Screening
What we check, and what we do not
Screening here means two things: understanding your current housing situation, and working out whether a building and a home fit your household. That is the whole of it.
Your housing situation now
Where you are living, how stable it is, and what would change for you if you moved. It is the first thing we ask about, because it shapes everything else.
Whether the home fits your household
How many people would live there, how you live, and whether the unit and the building suit you. A one-bedroom does not work for a family of five, and we would rather tell you that early.
Income, looked at flexibly
We need to know the rent is workable for you. Informal work, cash income, gig work and support payments all count, and we work it out in conversation rather than from paperwork.
A credit check, if you want one
It is optional and it is never required. If you have one you are happy to share, sign-up moves faster and more smoothly; if you would rather not, nothing about your application changes. We only ever look at one with your consent.
A reference, if you have one
Someone who knows your situation, if you are willing to give us a name. Not a credit report, not a letter from an employer, and we tell you before we contact anyone.
What we never look at
Your immigration status, your identification, your employer's details or your bank statements. None of it, at any stage, including after you move in.
Rent
Your rent starts below market, and steps up from there
The gap is covered by funding we raise rather than by you paying less forever. The schedule is set before you sign, so you always know what is coming next year, and we will tell you the exact figures for a home before you commit to it.
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Where your rent starts, and the reason this works for people who could not otherwise afford the neighbourhood.
- trending_up
Gradually, towards full market rent by the end of the incentive period. You see the whole schedule before you sign anything.
- savings
Coaching and help building savings, credit and a rent record, so the higher year is affordable when it arrives rather than a shock.
Support
What you get once you are in
Support is the part of the model the landlord is paying for, and the part you will actually use. It starts when you sign and does not stop at move-in.
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One person who knows your situation
A name and a number at SSAHS, not a general inbox. The same person follows you from the first conversation through your tenancy.
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Check-ins that stay useful
Regular contact about your situation rather than about surveillance: what is working, what is not, and what needs sorting before it becomes a problem.
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Coaching that builds a record
Financial coaching and help building the things the next landlord will look for: a rent record, savings and references. That is what makes the step-ups workable, and what makes renting on your own possible later.
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Backup with the landlord
If something needs raising with the landlord, we help you put it in writing and follow it up. Tenancy problems are far easier to solve early.
Expectations
What we ask of you
This only keeps working if you, SSAHS and the landlord each hold up an end of it. Here is ours, said plainly rather than buried in a lease.
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Rent on time, in full
It is the whole basis of the arrangement. A missed month puts the landlord's willingness to do this again at risk for the next household, not just yours.
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Look after the home and the neighbours
It is your home to live in, and other people live around you. Damage and repeated complaints are the fastest way for a placement to fall apart.
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Stay in touch
Answer the check-ins, and tell us early if your work, your household or your plans change. Early is always easier than late, for you most of all.
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Tell us the truth, including the hard parts
A complicated situation is workable. We can plan around almost anything when we know about it, and we cannot help with something we find out about from someone else.
Next step
Apply, or look at what is available first
Either order works. An application costs you nothing and does not commit you to a tenancy. If you would rather ask a question first, email housing@solidstate.coop and a person will answer.
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About five minutes, and no documents to prepare
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You will always know where your application stands
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You can ask us to remove your details at any time