# Housing Report for UK Spouse Visa



## saw87 (Dec 2, 2012)

Dear Members, 

My partner (a Turkish citizen) and I (a British citizen), are currently collecting all of the documents required for our application for UK spouse visa. We plan to submit the application in January 2013. 

In September 2011 my local council conducted an inspection of my home and prepared a Housing Report, which we needed to support our application for a visitor visa. The council also wrote a covering letter saying I had requested the report to be written to support the visitor visa application of my partner. 

The set up of the house has not changed at all and I still reside alone in the property. My question is can this report be submitted again in support of our spouse application? Or does the report have an expiry? 

My thought was to ask the council to write a new covering letter to submit alongside the report but I called today and they didn't sound hopeful that this would be possible. The person I spoke to said he would check with a manager and let me know but I'm not holding my breath! I'd really like to avoid paying another £180 for an identical report if at all possible! 

Any thoughts on this matter would be much appreciated!


----------



## saw87 (Dec 2, 2012)

Could anyone help with my question above? 

Many thanks


----------



## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

I think the short answer is that we don't know.

If you are living alone in the property, you arguably don't need the report at all, in which case you could throw in the older report anyway as it won't be essential.


----------



## saw87 (Dec 2, 2012)

Thanks for your reply 2farapart.

Has anyone successfully applied under the new rules and not supplied a housing report? If so, what documents did you supply to prove the accommodation available to you?


----------



## Leanna (Oct 22, 2012)

saw87 said:


> Thanks for your reply 2farapart.
> 
> Has anyone successfully applied under the new rules and not supplied a housing report? If so, what documents did you supply to prove the accommodation available to you?


I applied for a Fiance VISA under the new rules and we didn't supply any official documentation regarding the flat other than:

A letter from the landlord stating I could live at the flat with my fiance
A copy of the tenancy agreement
Details of our flatmate who lives in the second bedroom.

We currently rent a flat, we do not own. As far as I know no one contacted the landlord and they didn't request further information. Our application was successful.

Perhaps it's different for spouse Visas? I'm not sure.


----------



## saw87 (Dec 2, 2012)

Thanks for your reply Leanna and congratulations on your successful application! Where did you apply?

I own the house and live alone so I'll be submitting the title deeds and a recent mortgage statement, along with photos of all of the rooms. Maybe I'm worrying too much about the housing report!


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

*Need advice for supporting docs for accomodation (UK Spouse visa)*



Leanna said:


> I applied for a Fiance VISA under the new rules and we didn't supply any official documentation regarding the flat other than:
> 
> A letter from the landlord stating I could live at the flat with my fiance
> A copy of the tenancy agreement
> ...


 
Hi eveyone. Congrats to Leanna on your successful application! All the best! 

I'm planning to apply for my UK Spouse Visa very soon this month and will be applying under the new rules. Is there any difference with the accomodation documents required for Fiance and Spouse visas application? 

Regards to accomodation, I will be staying with my husband's parents and his 3 siblings in their council house temporarily until we find a place of our own. 

My mother-in-law receives a disability living allowance and a pension. (Will this be any issue?)

I am unsure regarding the supporting documents for my accomodation and would appreciate any advice. 

Supporting documents:
a)old tenancy agreement (reflects my husband's 2 siblings who have now since married and are no longer staying there)
b) letter informing increase in rent (there is no new/revised tenancy agreement, but the letter showing the rent increase)
c) water bills x2
d)electricity bills x2
e)some photos of the house including the room I'm sharing with my husband. (there is no issue of overcrowding, there are 2 spare rooms as 2 of my husband's siblings have since married and moved out.) 
f)letter from mother-in-law

Any advice on which photos of the house? Do I need photos of the kitchen, living room, back garden as well? (Me and my husband planted an apple tree together in the back garden sometime last year when I visited him and we had some apples!) 

How many utilities bills should I provide? 

I do not have copy of a housing inspection report. Is it significant to obtain the report? 

Pls advise. Thanking you in advance.


----------



## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

Yoshi_1981 said:


> Regards to accomodation, I will be staying with my husband's parents and his 3 siblings in their council house temporarily until we find a place of our own.


I think, in your situation, a housing inspection report is pretty vital. There will be you with your husband (one bedroom), his parents (another bedroom), and then three siblings. If the siblings are of adult age, it would be reasonable for UKBA to assume they don't all share a bedroom, and given that the majority of council houses are 2 and 3 bedroomed, a housing inspection report will assure UKBA that there are enough rooms that can suitably accommodate 9 people without overcrowding.


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

2farapart said:


> I think, in your situation, a housing inspection report is pretty vital. There will be you with your husband (one bedroom), his parents (another bedroom), and then three siblings. If the siblings are of adult age, it would be reasonable for UKBA to assume they don't all share a bedroom, and given that the majority of council houses are 2 and 3 bedroomed, a housing inspection report will assure UKBA that there are enough rooms that can suitably accommodate 9 people without overcrowding.


Thank you 2farapart for your advice!

I will be staying with my husband in his parents' 7 bedrooms council house, there are now 2 spare rooms (from my husband’s siblings who since got married and have moved away). My husband's 3 siblings who are staying there each have their own bedrooms. 

I will be providing photos of all the bedrooms, the kitchen and living room.

However, Im thinking that I may possibly not have enough time to request for a housing report from the council, as I am applying for my visa very soon and submitting the supporting docs. :-( *worried* 

2farapart and Joopa, pls any further advice?

Appreciate any advice everyone, very much, thanks!



Thanks.


----------



## laurastew (Oct 15, 2012)

I applied and was approved under the new rules and did not provide a housing report. Just a lease and list of furnishings that accompanied our lease (it's a furnished let).


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

Yoshi_1981 said:


> Hi eveyone. Congrats to Leanna on your successful application! All the best!
> 
> I'm planning to apply for my UK Spouse Visa very soon this month and will be applying under the new rules. Is there any difference with the accomodation documents required for Fiance and Spouse visas application?
> 
> ...



Hi everyone, any further advice? Joopa, pls advise? Thanks!


----------



## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

Yoshi_1981 said:


> Thank you 2farapart for your advice!
> 
> I will be staying with my husband in his parents' 7 bedrooms council house, there are now 2 spare rooms (from my husband’s siblings who since got married and have moved away). My husband's 3 siblings who are staying there each have their own bedrooms.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure on this, but it sounds like a bit of a gamble. If time is SO short that you'd rather risk a refusal on your records than miss an important deadline in the hope that you won't be refused, then all you can do is apply anyway. If the rest of your application is very strong, there's a chance that, if they insist on a report, they might not refuse the visa and will instead ask you to obtain one. But it really is a risk I wouldn't advise unless you really have to.

However, if you are applying soon more for the reason that you cannot bear being apart any longer (and most of us here are very aware of how that feels!), I'd urge you to obtain one anyway and don't take that risk. Photos alone won't help because they could actually be photos of anybody's rooms from any place, and I imagine that 7-bedroom council houses are extremely rare, so a housing inspection report will testify that this is accurate and that there is ample room for everyone.


----------



## Leanna (Oct 22, 2012)

saw87 said:


> Thanks for your reply Leanna and congratulations on your successful application! Where did you apply?
> 
> I own the house and live alone so I'll be submitting the title deeds and a recent mortgage statement, along with photos of all of the rooms. Maybe I'm worrying too much about the housing report!


I applied in Canada (Edmonton) for a fiancee visa. Sent it off beginning of August, got the e-mail they'd received it Aug 10th, and didn't hear anything until 2nd week of October. They needed some clarification on NHS stuff, once I had that forwarded I had an answer a few days later. Ended up getting my visa by third week of October. 

Now just getting the FLR stuff ready for our PEO Appt in Jan!

Good luck with your application


----------



## Leanna (Oct 22, 2012)

2farapart said:


> I'm not sure on this, but it sounds like a bit of a gamble. If time is SO short that you'd rather risk a refusal on your records than miss an important deadline in the hope that you won't be refused, then all you can do is apply anyway. If the rest of your application is very strong, there's a chance that, if they insist on a report, they might not refuse the visa and will instead ask you to obtain one. But it really is a risk I wouldn't advise unless you really have to.
> 
> However, if you are applying soon more for the reason that you cannot bear being apart any longer (and most of us here are very aware of how that feels!), I'd urge you to obtain one anyway and don't take that risk. Photos alone won't help because they could actually be photos of anybody's rooms from any place, and I imagine that 7-bedroom council houses are extremely rare, so a housing inspection report will testify that this is accurate and that there is ample room for everyone.


I'm inclined to agree here. Given the situation that you'll be moving into, despite the fact that there are plenty of bedrooms available, it's best to get that report. Have you called the council? Any idea how long it would take??


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

laurastew said:


> I applied and was approved under the new rules and did not provide a housing report. Just a lease and list of furnishings that accompanied our lease (it's a furnished let).


Hi laurastew,

Thanks very much for your reply and advice! 
Congratulations to you on your approval under new rules and all the best to you.

I think I'm worrying and stressing so much, as I understand that the UKBA are very strict regarding sponsor's financial requirement and accomodation; especially with the new rules. O_O


----------



## laurastew (Oct 15, 2012)

In my experience they were very strict about the financial requirement/documents needed but all we needed to show for the relationship/accommodation was our marriage certificate and a few months of utility bills. Mine was a straight forward case (I'm already in the UK and we've both been earning income for a few years), but it might help put your mind at ease.


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

2farapart said:


> I'm not sure on this, but it sounds like a bit of a gamble. If time is SO short that you'd rather risk a refusal on your records than miss an important deadline in the hope that you won't be refused, then all you can do is apply anyway. If the rest of your application is very strong, there's a chance that, if they insist on a report, they might not refuse the visa and will instead ask you to obtain one. But it really is a risk I wouldn't advise unless you really have to.
> 
> However, if you are applying soon more for the reason that you cannot bear being apart any longer (and most of us here are very aware of how that feels!), I'd urge you to obtain one anyway and don't take that risk. Photos alone won't help because they could actually be photos of anybody's rooms from any place, and I imagine that 7-bedroom council houses are extremely rare, so a housing inspection report will testify that this is accurate and that there is ample room for everyone.


Thank you very much everyone, for your advice and replies. *hugs*

I have been discussing this with my husband and mother-in-law. 

Was wondering if my husband looks for a flat instead, to rent for us to move in after i successfully obtain my spouse visa *fingers crossed*, is that possible? Is it too late to look for a flat to rent? - so close to when I plan to apply for my UK spouse visa, which I was hoping to do in 2 weeks....

Do we need to have the flat rented a few months in advance or is it ok for my husband to go ahead, we have found some possible places to rent on Gumtree; and perhaps proceed to rent a place inclusive of bills and council tax. 

Can we mention this in our letters something along the lines of my husband has been in the meantime living at his parent's house but we are looking to move into this XXX flat when I arrive. And that my husband has found a place that he recently rented..? My husband would be signing the rental agreement and post me a copy soonest, does it have to be an original? What other documents would I need? Would i then still need to forward any docs from my husband's parents house? 

Many many thanks everyone for your advice. I really miss my husband and we have been seriously saving up these months apart, I just finished my work contract here, and am so looking forward to reuniting with him in the UK. 

My husband meets the financial requirement and we have the financial docs plus other docs compiled, its only this issue of accomodation thats worrying us. :-( 

We were thinking of continuing saving up some more, hence were initially thinking of staying at his parent's place. Im thinking my my mother-in-law would have to inform the council that Im moving into the house hence, there would be changes in her receipt of benefits as she would have to inform on the changes in circumstance - yes?? 

Would be grateful for your advice,pls.


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

Leanna said:


> I'm inclined to agree here. Given the situation that you'll be moving into, despite the fact that there are plenty of bedrooms available, it's best to get that report. Have you called the council? Any idea how long it would take??


Thanks Leanna, thanks for replying and your advice. 
Im waiting for my mother in law to revert to me, and will check in with her tomorrow again.


----------



## Leanna (Oct 22, 2012)

Yoshi_1981 said:


> Thanks Leanna, thanks for replying and your advice.
> Im waiting for my mother in law to revert to me, and will check in with her tomorrow again.


Anytime!

And try not to worry. You're right, the financial part will be the most essential to your application, and as you've said, you meet that part. Good luck!!


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

Yoshi_1981 said:


> Thank you very much everyone, for your advice and replies. *hugs*
> 
> I have been discussing this with my husband and mother-in-law.
> 
> ...



Hi everyone, pls help advise. If my husband was to go ahead and rent a flat like tomor, would that be ok? or would he need to be staying in the flat for xxx no of months before i apply for my spouse visa? We are looking at this accomodation option instead of staying at my husband's parents house. 

Appreciate it. Thanks!


----------



## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

laurastew said:


> I applied and was approved under the new rules and did not provide a housing report. Just a lease and list of furnishings that accompanied our lease (it's a furnished let).


Many thanks laurastew xx


----------

