Maine Stays / Councils / Birmingham
For Birmingham housing officersEmergency and temporary homes for Birmingham.
Whole homes on nightly or weekly terms, offered once the certificates and consents a placement needs are in place.
Placements
How a whole home fits a placement.
Councils are asked to place households within their own district where they reasonably can, while section 208 of the Housing Act 1996 requires notice to the receiving authority when they cannot. Knowing where our homes are helps officers plan placements with that in mind.
Nightly-paid, self-contained accommodation is a familiar part of temporary accommodation. What officers want from it is reliability: a clean home, a named contact and a clear answer about which dates are free.
The authority
Placements for Birmingham.
Birmingham City Council is the housing authority for the city, from Sutton Coldfield and Erdington to Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Northfield, Sheldon and Bordesley Green.
Our house in Brierley Hill, The Merry Hill Lounge, is about 11 miles by road from Birmingham city centre.
For a Birmingham household, The Merry Hill Lounge offers four bedrooms and two bathrooms for up to eight people, measured about 11 miles by road from our house to the city centre. Our Coventry homes sit on the other side of the city, which gives an officer two directions to look in when a whole family home is needed.
What we provide
The placements we can support.
A B&B alternative
A whole house instead of a room with shared facilities.
Nightly or weekly
Terms that match the way the placement is funded.
Named contact
One person for the officer and one for the household.
Standards
Before a home is offered for a placement.
A home is put forward only when every one of these is in place:
- It is whole and self-contained, with its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance
- Gas safety, electrical and energy certificates are current
- A fire risk assessment is in place, with detection suited to the home
- The lender, the freeholder and the insurer have agreed in writing to council placements
- The length of stay has been agreed with the council
Requests
How a placement request works.
Call or send the form
The bedrooms needed, the area and the dates.
Confirm the home
We confirm which home is free and for how long.
Terms in writing
Agreed with the council before the household arrives.
Move in
The household arrives to a furnished, clean home.
Landlords
Own a home in Birmingham?
Own a home in Birmingham that a council could use? Maine Property Solutions, the company behind Maine Stays, leases whole homes from landlords for council placements and looks after them between households.
Questions
Questions officers ask.
Can you take short-notice requests?
Call 024 7745 0677. Short-notice placements depend on which homes are free that day.
What should we send first?
The household size, the bedrooms needed, the area and the likely length of stay. Please leave out names and personal details until a home is confirmed.
Are the homes furnished?
Yes. Homes come furnished, with bills and Wi-Fi included.
Can a stay be extended?
Where the home is free, yes. Extensions are agreed with the council in writing.
Can council staff and contractors book too?
Yes. Council staff, agency teams and contractors working on council projects can book a whole house.
Is a placement in your homes outside our district?
Yes. Section 208 of the Housing Act 1996 then requires notice to the receiving authority: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council for The Merry Hill Lounge or Coventry City Council for our Coventry homes.
Where are the homes for Birmingham placements?
Our house in Brierley Hill, The Merry Hill Lounge, is about 11 miles by road from Birmingham city centre.
Can landlords in Birmingham offer homes for placements?
Yes. Maine Property Solutions leases whole homes from landlords for council placements, with the consents a placement needs.
Request
Send a placement request.
Other councils