Letter from Council - Accommodation

Hey,

So I spoke to the council today, to write a letter for my wife's immigration purpose.

The office of the council (in manchester) was a bit confused as to what they are supposed to write. What exactly do they have to write in the letter with regards to the whole overcrowding issue for it to be acceptable by the ECO?

The lady told me she would simply write a letter that this house is allowed to accommodate 5 members. Is this enough?

And I have another question......

We are submitting the original copy of our lease agreement which states that 5 people can live in the property......

do we even NEED a separate permission letter from the council, which clearly states that after the applicant arrives, there will not be overcrowding? Or is the original tenancy agreement enough??

And I have another question......

We are submitting the original copy of our lease agreement which states that 5 people can live in the property......

do we even NEED a separate permission letter from the council, which clearly states that after the applicant arrives, there will not be overcrowding? Or is the original tenancy agreement enough??

sorry I am not going to be much help but I am in the same boat! Do you know how much it costs or is it free from the council?

Are these accomodation letters pretty common for them or do they seem confused on what to write, so would it be best for an estate agent or a solictor to do it (they charge mad fees, I heard)

Thanks

Sorry for hijacking your post!

You need a letter stating that the council is okay with another person living in that house. As far as measurements of rooms you can do that yourself by taking pictures and writing down the measurements of each room.

AMK & Confused.com

The letter/report you need for your spouses application is a letter from the Council is to say that they have been to your house and inspected it to make sure that it is in a habitable condition ( ie meaning it has bathing and cooking facilities). They then measure the rooms and asks for the number of people living there to make sure that it will not be overcrowded as per the Housing Act 1985.

They will take photo graphs of the house to show its condition. This is what they call a "Letter/Report for Immigration purposes".

Some Councils will do the above free of charge, yet others will charge over £150 for it.

Besides the above you must send a copy of your title deeds ( if you own property) or a copy of your Shorthold Assured Teannacy Agreement( which must have at least 6 months left on it.

The above two things will prove that you have accommodation, it is habitable, it will not be overcrowded. This is all the ECO wants to see.

Hope this helps

Batleykhan -

thanks for your response.

I spoke to the council - and they said the fee would cost 110 pounds. Whatever the case may be, it's a bit expensive - but you gotta do what you gotta do right.

I didn't know that as part of their inspection they would take pictures, measurements, etc....it seems that after the councils inspection, the word "report" would be more appropriate than "letter".

Other than that you mentioned "Shorthold Tenancy Agreement" with at least 6 months left on it. I've not heard this term before. Could you just clarify? We do have a council home.....I guess what you mean is that the tenancy agreement as issued by the council is what needs to be submitted in addition to the immigration inspection report from the council right??

Other than that you mentioned "Shorthold Tenancy Agreement" with at least 6 months left on it. I've not heard this term before. Could you just clarify? We do have a council home.....I guess what you mean is that the tenancy agreement as issued by the council is what needs to be submitted in addition to the immigration inspection report from the council right??

Yes. Sorry I thought you was living in private rented accommodation, rather than a Council house

hey I spoke to the council again - for the immigration inspection - and they said that you have to use the letter within 3 months of it being issued.....have you ever heard of this before?

Does the ECO not accept letters which are three months past?? or does it not matter, when the inspection was done....

thanks sir

So that means Estate agents, council and solicitors roughly charge the same amount. so expensive!

my mum owns the house now so do I include a photocopy of the deeds attested by a solicitor then?

Sorry to jump in here, but I have got a letter from my council, following an inspection. It is very basic letter that simply says that the house is occupied by me & my flat-mate, and that it is sufficient for my husband-to-be to join us (and uses his specific name). It mentions what rooms are in the house but no measurements.

Is this letter ok? I will also send photos with measurements.

Thanks very much

amk2010 wrote:hey I spoke to the council again - for the immigration inspection - and they said that you have to use the letter within 3 months of it being issued.....have you ever heard of this before?

Does the ECO not accept letters which are three months past?? or does it not matter, when the inspection was done....

Yes some of the letters do have a validity time limit imposed on them by various Councils. It is normally 3 months because that is what the ECO insists on and that things can materially change within the house after this period.

As to the other inquiry here, photos are not essential but very helpful as they show the state of the property at the time of the inspection. The report will need to include the measurements of each room and the number of people living there to ensure they comply with overcrowding regulations under the Housing Act 1985. The property must have a bathroom and cooking facilities.If your report doesnt have photographs, then you can send some yourself, but it is always advisable for the author of the report to do it

batleykhan wrote:

amk2010 wrote:hey I spoke to the council again - for the immigration inspection - and they said that you have to use the letter within 3 months of it being issued.....have you ever heard of this before?

Does the ECO not accept letters which are three months past?? or does it not matter, when the inspection was done....

Yes some of the letters do have a validity time limit imposed on them by various Councils. It is normally 3 months because that is what the ECO insists on and that things can materially change within the house after this period.

As to the other inquiry here, photos are not essential but very helpful as they show the state of the property at the time of the inspection. The report will need to include the measurements of each room and the number of people living there to ensure they comply with overcrowding regulations under the Housing Act 1985. The property must have a bathroom and cooking facilities.If your report doesnt have photographs, then you can send some yourself, but it is always advisable for the author of the report to do it

Hi batleykhan, sounds like my 'report' (which is actually a letter) from the City Council is not enough as it does not include measurements? I thought they would know the procedure to be honest. Considering the report from the council is not mandatory, do you think it would be sufficient if I include this letter, with my own photos & measurements?

Thanks

ElizabethB wrote:

batleykhan wrote:

amk2010 wrote:hey I spoke to the council again - for the immigration inspection - and they said that you have to use the letter within 3 months of it being issued.....have you ever heard of this before?

Does the ECO not accept letters which are three months past?? or does it not matter, when the inspection was done....

Yes some of the letters do have a validity time limit imposed on them by various Councils. It is normally 3 months because that is what the ECO insists on and that things can materially change within the house after this period.

As to the other inquiry here, photos are not essential but very helpful as they show the state of the property at the time of the inspection. The report will need to include the measurements of each room and the number of people living there to ensure they comply with overcrowding regulations under the Housing Act 1985. The property must have a bathroom and cooking facilities.If your report doesnt have photographs, then you can send some yourself, but it is always advisable for the author of the report to do it

Hi batleykhan, sounds like my 'report' (which is actually a letter) from the City Council is not enough as it does not include measurements? I thought they would know the procedure to be honest. Considering the report from the council is not mandatory, do you think it would be sufficient if I include this letter, with my own photos & measurements?

Thanks

Most Councils dont do such report/letters, so they have no idea as to what to write in them.

Send the letter you have got and just attach a few photographs of your rooms and frontage of your property and on the back write what room it is and the measurement of them.It should suffice

These reports are only mandatory where the sponsor and his spouse are going to be living with their parents and other siblings in one house. This is where overcrowding may occur and thus this report will have to be provided.

Hope that helps

Where overcrowding is unlikely to occur, there is no need for such report.

Thanks so much for that advice, really good to hear!