Housing help & advice

Advice and information on buying your home, making repairs and keeping it warm. Also find out what to do if you are threatened with homelessness.

There are different schemes available to help you buy your home depending on your circumstances.

The government has created the help to buy scheme that helps you buy your own home.

Whether you want to get onto the housing ladder, or move up it, the scheme makes it possible to buy a new-build home priced up to £600,000 with as little as a 5% deposit.

North East, Yorkshire & Humberside is the help to buy agent for Northumberland.
The right to buy scheme helps social tenants in England buy their own council home at a discount.

If you are a council tenant, or were living in your own home when the council transferred it to another landlord, you may be able to buy your own home.
Local lend-a-hand is a partnership between Lloyds Bank and Northumberland County Council. The local authority provides a cash-backed indemnity as additional security for the mortgage.

This extra security means that Lloyds can offer you a mortgage of up to 95% of your first home’s value. 
There may be financial help available for homeowners to fund adaptations, home improvements and repairs.

If you have a disability or illness, making daily life difficult, you may benefit from having your home adapted to help you carry on with life independently.

We can help you access the support and services you need. Please contact adult social care for an assessment:
  • Telephone: 01670 536400
For more information, please view our ‘disabled facilities grant’ booklet, which briefly outlines available help and grant applications.
If you are a home owner struggling to carry out essential repairs, improvements or adaptations to your home, an affordable loan and step-by-step support may be available.
We work closely with partners to promote energy efficiency that helps keep your house warm.

There are various ways to check if your property could benefit from energy-saving improvements: The green deal may be right for you if you think your property could benefit from energy-saving improvements.
Community energy provides information for groups who may want to set up a community energy project. There is support and advice to help available: The Energy Savings Trust focuses on promoting the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. You can find free advice and information on their website, or contacting them:
  • Telephone: 0800 512 012

For impartial and independent energy advice to help you reduce your energy bills and make your home warmer visit  Simple Energy Advice