Maine Stays / Councils / Sandwell
For Sandwell housing officersNightly-paid, self-contained homes for Sandwell.
One household to each home, with a named contact for the council and for the household.
Placements
How a whole home fits a placement.
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.
Emergency placements rarely arrive in office hours. When a request comes in late, the useful answer is a plain one: whether a whole home is free, for how long and on what terms.
The authority
Placements for Sandwell.
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is the housing authority for West Bromwich, Smethwick, Oldbury, Tipton, Wednesbury and Rowley Regis.
The borough borders Dudley, where The Merry Hill Lounge is.
Sandwell's towns, from West Bromwich and Smethwick to Oldbury, Tipton, Wednesbury and Rowley Regis, border the Dudley borough. A whole home in Brierley Hill keeps a Sandwell household in the Black Country rather than sending it further afield, with its own kitchen and bathrooms and room for a family.
What we provide
The placements we can support.
Out-of-hours requests
A call to 024 7745 0677 reaches us for urgent placements.
Planned placements
Homes booked ahead for known move dates.
Extensions
Longer stays agreed in writing where the home is free.
Standards
Before a home is offered for a placement.
A home is put forward only when every one of these is in place:
- A self-contained home with a kitchen and a bathroom of its own
- Current gas safety record, electrical report and energy certificate
- Fire detection suited to the home, backed by a fire risk assessment
- Written consent to council placements from the lender, the freeholder and the insurer
- A stay length set with the council before arrival
Requests
How a placement request works.
Tell us the household
How many people, the bedrooms and any access needs.
Match a home
Only a home that fits the household is offered.
Written agreement
The council books and the terms are set down.
Stay and review
The length of stay is reviewed as the case moves.
Landlords
Own a home in Sandwell?
Landlords in Sandwell can offer a whole home for council placements. Maine Property Solutions takes it on, arranges the consents a placement needs and keeps the paperwork current.
Questions
Questions officers ask.
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.
What standard does a home meet before it is offered?
A home is offered for a placement only once its certificates, its fire risk assessment and the written consents are in place.
Can a family with children be placed?
Yes. Family-sized houses with their own kitchen and bathroom are an alternative to bed and breakfast.
How is the length of stay agreed?
With the council before arrival, then reviewed if the household's move-on date changes.
Is a placement in your homes outside our district?
Yes, for The Merry Hill Lounge. Section 208 of the Housing Act 1996 then requires notice to Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council as the receiving authority. We can confirm the home's details for that notice.
Where are the homes for Sandwell placements?
The borough borders Dudley, where The Merry Hill Lounge is.
Can landlords in Sandwell offer homes for placements?
Yes. Maine Property Solutions leases whole homes from landlords for council placements, with the consents a placement needs.
Request