To assist you with making your Rent Deposit Scheme application, we have put together a case study for a fictional applicant called Svitlana.
Below is some background on Svitlana as well as the documents that she submitted as part of her original Rent Deposit Scheme (RDS) application. You can read over her application and view the documents, then read our reply to her to explain what else is needed for the application to go through.
At the bottom of the page is the outcome of her application.
This example is entirely fictional and the documents are not to be used as part of your own application.
Svitlana’s background
Here’s a bit about Svitlana and her situation before applying:
Svitlana is 39 years old and was sponsored on the Homes for Ukraine scheme by her host Anna. Svitlana, along with her two children, Mykola (12) and Valentyna (10), came to live with Anna in Welwyn in February 2023. Svitlana has decided that she would like to move out and has applied for the Rent Deposit Scheme.
Svitlana works in Welwyn, Mykola and Valentyna are both attending school in Welwyn too. While Svitlana is at work, her children stay with a family friend in Knebworth. Due to work, school and family, Svitlana is looking for a property in the Welwyn Hatfield or Stevenage area.
As you will see from her application form, Svitlana works part-time and is contracted to at least 24 hours a week earning £15 per hour. She occasionally works overtime when she has the opportunity. She also receives benefits.
Because Svitlana has two children of different sexes over the age of 10, she will need a three-bedroom property. This is to adhere to the UK overcrowding law.
Svitlana’s application documents
Below you can find the documents Svitlana submitted as her application. Take a look through them to see what a complete Budget Planner looks like, as well as the supporting evidence we expect to accompany it:
Our reply to Svitlana
After we received Svitlana’s application, we assessed her application form, budget planner and evidence. Here’s the email we sent to Svitlana to explain what we found when reviewing her application and the changes we needed her to make before we could submit it to panel:
Conclusion
After reading our email, Svitlana worked with the Hospital & Community Navigation Service (HCNS) to correct her Budget Planner. She changed her income amount to match her pay without overtime and added the other outgoings we highlighted in our email.
She also provided us with additional bank statements and her tax returns for self-employment. Now with an accurate Budget Planner and all the evidence we needed to support it, we could send her application to panel to decide an outcome. Her application was successful and Svitlana was offered £2,800 for her first months rent and deposit.
Back to the Homes for Ukraine rent deposit scheme application page.