Sanford is a Fully Mutual Housing Co-operative. All tenants are members of the co-op, which is effectively a collective of social landlords.
Sanford membership process explained
The membership process consists of three stages: your application, an initial interview and a placement interview. The whole process usually takes place once a month, except when there are no room vacancies.
We receive a high number of applications and for each vacancy at least fifteen people are interviewed.
Initial interview
Once you’ve applied and your application has been checked, you will be invited for an initial interview. This takes place on the first Monday of every month and you’ll be interviewed by current members of the coop. The purpose of this initial interview is to ascertain a person’s suitability to the co-op. We will consider your attitude to living in shared accommodation; your willingness to contribute to the co-op as a whole; and your ability to accept different lifestyles. If you are selected at this initial stage, your application will stay valid for 3 months (on average there are around 50 live applications at any time). After this applicants may re-apply.
Placement interview
Placement interviews will take place on the following Sunday, in all houses where there are voids – these interviews are for houses to select the applicant they’d like to live with. The number of voids will vary month by month – sometimes there are several rooms available on the street, sometimes only one, and sometimes none. Each house that has a void will see 15 applicants, selected from all current valid applications. You’ll be invited to RSVP to an email invite to let us know your availability to interview.
Due to the large number of applicants we are only able to interview 15 people at placement interviews. To make the process as fair as possible, the selection of the 15 people will be decided based on the date that you had your initial interview, and whether you’ve already had a placement interview. At current demand levels, you’ll definitely get one interview – but you may only get one in the three months. You’ll be invited to RSVP.
Memberships officers will be in touch as soon as possible to let you know the outcome of your placement interview; this will normally be within a week, but can sometimes take a little longer if a house has difficulty reaching a decision. If you’re selected, you are expected to commence your tenancy within two weeks; once you’ve started your tenancy you will become a full coop member.
Everything you need to know about the rooms at Sanford
What are the rooms like at Sanford?
- Each room is single occupancy and must be your main residence. We are unfortunately unable to accommodate families or individuals who want to bring their dogs. However, we are a cat friendly co-op.
- Rooms are relatively small (around 10sqm), however there may be storage space available in the attic – this is something to check with the house.
- Every room comes unfurnished. However, residents will often have furniture they want to leave, and you can always ask for spare furniture from other members.
- All the rooms are in varying conditions; however, they each will have a working radiator, sink and window. Our room assessments team will ensure that each room is up to standards, but new members often spend time refurbishing their rooms. We store a variety of light tools and materials. The co-op will provide paint for the walls and floors, floor carpet and light bulbs for free.
- The walls are quite thin so it can feel like real communal living at times.
What are the houses like at Sanford?
- Each house is very different as kitchens and living rooms have been lovingly customised by current and past members. However, there are some common features:
- Each house opens onto a large beautiful shared garden.
- The ground floor has a toilet, and the first and second floor has a bathroom.
- Kitchens include fridge/freezer space, 2 cupboards per person, a washing machine, hob, oven, sink etc.
- Utensils, pots and pans are usually shared.
- You can apply for a bike parking space in the bike shed.
How much is rent?
The rent is approx £310 per month which includes all rent, service charge, council tax, utilities (gas, electricity and water), maintenance and WIFI.
How can you contribute to Sanford?
As a co-operative, we all share tasks on a voluntary basis. This includes agreeing on our expenses together.
We are always looking for people who want to contribute to making Sanford a better place to live. There are many ways you can volunteer and support with the running of Sanford, including being a house representative, helping with gardening, interviewing prospective members, supporting our IT system, and being a maintenance officer.
It’s great if you already have the skills to contribute, but there are always people who can support you in a new role.
You can see an example of a room below – please note all rooms look very different and usually come unfurnished!
Who should apply?
Sanford invites applicants from all sectors of the community regardless of gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or health status, who:
- are over the age of 18.
- wish to live in a co-operative environment.
Sanford is not suitable for applicants:
- with dependent children or people who wish to share a room (Sanford only provides single occupancy rooms).
- with dogs, crocodiles, vultures (Sanford is cat-friendly and there are several at the coop).
- who own or earn money from property.
Apart from these restrictions there isn’t anything else that should keep a person from applying to live in Sanford.
How to apply
Due to a high number of applicants, new applications are closed until further notice.
We are aiming to reduce the waiting time between the date the application form is submitted and the interview process.
Please keep an eye on the website to see when applications will be reopened.
Warm wishes,
Membership team.