We’re sure you’ve plenty of questions, so we’ve answered the most frequently asked ones here. If yours isn’t among them, please contact us and fire away.
Whilst we specialise in care for older people, we welcome all members of the community. Our most popular types of housing are:
Amenity Housing: for people over 50
Alarmed Housing: for anyone over 60. The property is fitted with an alarm system
Sheltered Housing: for ages 60 and over. These are staffed sites with inactivity monitoring including an alarm pull cord. Staff are usually on site Monday to Friday between 09.00 and 15.30
Enhanced Sheltered Housing: entry age of 60 and over. Similar to sheltered housing but some sites have a café and staff work 9.00 – 5.00, seven days a week.
Click here to read details of all the different types of housing we offer.
Although you have a self-contained flat, there are common areas for socialising, communal laundry rooms, and guest rooms for family or visitors to stay. There are support staff on site during the day. There is a built-in inactivity sensor system and every room is fitted with an emergency pull cord.
We have a wonderfully diverse range of people living in our sheltered housing, from very fit and active older adults, to those who need support to enable them to live as independently as possible.
These fully qualified support staff are onsite throughout the week to organise events, check you’re OK and assist you in setting up extra support and advising you on your tenancy.
You get your own self-contained property. It most definitely is not a care home, and you and your family and friends may come and go as often as you like. We only ask, if you are going away over night that you let the Coordinator know, so we do not call out your key holder to check if you are okay.
You will be asked when you apply if you have a pet. We allow one pet automatically, but more than one must be requested in writing via your Housing Officer.
Family and friends are welcome to stay for a few days or a week. However they can’t move in. Most of our complexes have a guest room which may be booked out at a very reasonable price per person per night.
All our tenants living in sheltered and enhanced properties can get help from our on-site staff with rent management, housing benefit claims, reporting repairs, monitoring inactivity and responding to emergency pull cords. We can also put you in touch with other professionals if you need further support to enable you to live independently.
Please register for housing in Edinburgh via Edindex, Key to Choice lettings system in conjunction with Edinburgh Council. For Fife you will need to register with the Fife housing or our own waiting list. And for Mid and East Lothian, apply directly via the local authorities in these areas.
If you move into one of our sheltered sites, the onsite Coordinator will check in with you to ensure you are settling in well, and will be on hand if you need to speak to them. If you’re moving into our Mainstream, Amenity or Alarmed Housing, you will have a Settling In visit arranged with your Housing Officer, and again you can call them to arrange a home visit if you need to speak to them prior to this date.
A financial check will be carried out before you’re offered a property to see if you can afford the rent on you own - or if you need to apply for Housing Benefit. If, once you move in, you are struggling to make ends meet, then a meeting with our Welfare Rights Officer can be arranged. She will visit you in your own home to discuss what options are available to you.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch here - we'll be happy to help!
