Welcome to Mendip's Housing pages.
Please choose from the A-Z list below.
Even if you already have planning consent for your building project, you will almost certainly need Building Regulation consent before you can start work.
Licensing, inspection and enforcement of residential, static, touring/holiday caravan sites, and camping sites.
Advice on Conservation Areas within the Mendip District Council area.
Since 1 December 1993 there are only limited occasions when taxpayers can challenge their Council Tax banding.
Common questions and answers regarding Council Tax.
Discounts on your council tax are available if only one person is living in the dwelling, or if the other people living there can be disregarded for council tax purposes.
How to Pay your Council Tax.
A quick guide to the details of your Council Tax bill and how you can pay it.
There are five main components to your council tax bill. These are the Special Expenses Rate and the Parish Charge which will both vary from one parish to another.
An outline guide to the laws and procedures that govern council tax.
The Valuation Office Agency give a "Banding Value" for each dwelling.
Backdating Council Tax Benefit means that we award benefit for a period before the date when you actually made your claim. To receive backdated benefit you must have good reasons for not making an earlier claim (e.g. a serious illness or a bereavement).
If you currently receive Council Tax Benefit and there is a change in any of your personal circumstances, you must let us know as soon as possible.
You can claim Council Tax Benefit if you are on Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance, or if you are on a low income (this includes people who are self employed)
When we give you too much benefit, we call it an 'overpayment'. If we give you too much benefit, we will send you a letter.
As part of the Government's Housing Benefit Reform the Council is no longer required to issue renewal claim forms.
Application for Council Tax Discount - Apprentices
Application for a Council Tax Discount - Care Workers
Application for Council Tax Discount - Carers
Application for Council Tax Discounts - Empty Properties
Application for Council Tax Discount - Members of Religious Communities
Application for a Council Tax Discount - Persons in Detention
Appliaction for Councli Tax Discount - Reduction for Disability
Application for Council Tax Discount - Persons Resident in Hospitals/Homes/Hostels
Council Tax Discount - Self Contained Part of Property Occupied by a Dependant Relative
Application for Council Tax Discount - Severe Mental Impairment
Application for Council Tax Discount - Sole or Main Residence Questionnaire
Application for Council Tax Discount - Students
Application for a Council Tax Discount - Under 20s in Full Time Education
Application for Council Tax Discount - Youth Training Trainees
Council Tax can only be charged on a 'chargeable dwelling' (usually a building or part of a building used as a private residence), and there are rules to determine who is liable for the payment.
Grants are available to help people to carry out repairs to their property, or to provide disabled adaptations if you are registered disabled. All grants are means tested.
Discretionary Housing Payments are designed to help Housing and Council Tax Benefit claimants who require further financial help with their housing costs.
Energy saving advice and initiatives for households in the Mendip area.
Information about facilities and services for homeless people.
Discretionary grants associated with the repair of historic buildings and areas.
Composters are recycled plastic bins for the garden. To help Somerset residents get started, a Home Composting Promotion has been setup - offering compost bins for as little as £8.
The way social housing is allocated across the district is set to change in 2008.
Mendip District Council can offer advice and assistance to help you if you are homeless or about to lose your home.
Where to find your local household waste recycling centre.
The local authority or Registered Social Landlord uses a housing point system as a guide to priority when allocating housing. The points system reflects the current situation or condition in which an applicant lives.
Responding to complaints concerning the conditions of tenanted properties, in relation to the new Housing Health & Safety Rating System under The Housing Act 2004 (this replaces the old “unfitness” standard).
Promoting and enabling the development of new and refurbished properties in order to provide affordable housing.
Empty properties are a wasted resource. Bringing empty properties back into use features as a key priority in Mendip District Council's Housing Strategy. Demand for affordable good quality housing in the District remains high.
Advice to tenants and landlords in the private sector on housing related matters.
Grants are available to help people to carry out repairs to their property, or to provide disabled adaptations if you are registered disabled. All grants are means tested.
Mendip District Council private sector letting scheme
The 2004 Housing Act introduces the licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
A list of all applicants requiring social housing within the Mendip district.
This service provides lists of tenants wishing to move, either within the area or to other areas. Existing tenants can exchange their home with another tenant provided the landlord agrees the mutual exchange.
A local authority may be able to provide help and advice to existing private tenants who may be a victim of harassment, illegal eviction or experiencing trouble or issues with their landlord
New Build Homebuy, formerly Shared Ownership, in Mendip.
An applicant who has been refused a place on the housing register, who is unhappy with their allocation of housing points or who has been suspended from the waiting list can ask the local authority to review their decision. The authority should publish details of their appeals procedure.
Housing Associations are 'Registered Social Landlords' not private landlords. They provide housing in a very similar way to the Council and are non-profit making. People on the local authority transfer list or housing register may be offered a Housing Association.
Backdating Housing Benefit means that we award benefit for a period before the date when you actually made your claim.
If you currently receive Housing Benefit and there is a change in any of your personal circumstances, you must let us know as soon as possible.
You can claim Housing Benefit if you are on Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance or have a low income.
When a claimant's circumstances change, it could result in an overpayment, in which case we must actively seek to recover the overpayment.
As part of the Government's Housing Benefit reform the Council is no longer required to issue renewal claim forms.
Housing Regeneration is responsible for delivering the entire housing service within the District which significantly contributes to the corporate priorities.
Mendip has introduced the following accreditation scheme to help Private Sector landlords to provide accommodation that fully complies with current Housing legislation, including the Housing Act 1985, Management Regulations and Decent Homes policy.
Buildings which represent the best of the nation's historic and architectural built heritage are Listed by the Department of Culture Media and Sport under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, on advice from English Heritage. Listed buildings are a finite and irreplaceable asset. The District Council has a statutory duty to ensure that Listed Buildings, their settings and any features of special architectural or historic interest which they possess are preserved.
Consultation started on the new way we will guide change in Mendip. This is your chance to be involved in how planning decisions are made.
The planning system controls land development and usage. Use our Planning Applications Search facility to find out about planning applications.
Garden Waste bins are now back in stock, to order please use the online service form.
Garden Waste Missed Collections.
The Council is now offering 100% recycling coverage for all domestic properties in the district
Recycling - New/ Replacement Recycling Boxes.
Details about the food waste collection service operated accross the district
If you have a large item such as a piece of furniture or a fridge that you wish to dispose of we offer a Bulky Collection Service at a small charge.
The Council provides a clinical waste collection to private households.
Provision for the provision of new or second bins
We maintain and repair all fences and walls under our ownership.