Map/Housing
Being sent to Coventry is a great experience! - and that's official. The City was awarded the top honour for 'Liveable Communities', for cities with between 200,000 and 750,000 people, in the 2005 International Awards, endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme.
The range and choice of housing in Coventry is wide and affordable, with average prices remaining low compared to other parts of the South and Midlands. Good quality 'starter homes' can still be obtained for below £100,000. Alternatively, there are a wide range of Housing Associations with property available for rent in the city, tenancies start at around £55 per week. Rents in the private sector start at around £70 per week. Further information is available on Housing Opportunities for Coventry Teachers.
You may qualify for our Removal Expenses Scheme of up to £8,000 under which newly appointed staff may be offered a conditional grant towards the cost of moving house to Coventry or the surrounding area. Further information is available on Coventry's Removal Expenses Scheme.
Housing Opportunities for Coventry Teachers
The range of choice with regard to housing in Coventry is wide and affordable.
Buying Your Own House Or Flat
House prices in Coventry have risen dramatically in recent years, but average prices remain low compared to other parts of the South and Midlands. Good quality starter homes can still be obtained for below £100,000. The main estate agents are located together in New Union Street in the city centre and just round the corner on Greyfriars Green.
Stylish apartments have been built in the city centre in recent years and they provide a more expensive option, but they are central to all the leisure and cultural amenities in the city centre. Available apartments are also usually sold through the agents in New Union Street.
All the agents advertise together in the Wednesday night edition of the 'Coventry Evening Telegraph', and that provides an ideal way of finding out what is available.
Renting from a Housing Association
There are a wide range of Housing Associations with property in the city, although vacancies in the more popular areas are not common. The main Associations are:
Whitefriars Housing Group,9 Little Park Street,
Coventry CV1 2UR
Telephone 024 7676 7000
Orbit Housing Association,Garden Court,
Harry Weston Road,
Binley Business Park, Binley,
Coventry CV32 5AA
Telephone 024 7643 8000
Jephson Housing Association,2 Victoria Colonnade,
Leamington Spa,
Warwickshire,
CV31 3AA
Telephone 01926 831177
Focus Housing Association,6 Greyfriars Road,
Coventry CV1 3RY
Telephone 024 7622 9396
Touchstone Housing Association and some other smaller Associations advertise their vacant properties through a choice-based scheme, where-by the dwellings are advertised on a web-site. After registering (also on-line), people 'bid' (i.e., express interest) for the property they are interested in and the Associations let their properties only to those who have expressed interest in them. The web-site address is www.coventryhomechoice.com.
Rents for Housing Association tenancies start at around £55 per week.
Renting from the Private Sector
As in many large cities, the private rented sector in Coventry has grown considerably in recent years. There is now a wide range of property available. Many landlords advertise through the 'Coventry Evening Telegraph' and particularly in the property supplement on a Wednesday.
Those landlords who chose to use a 'management agent' usually use one associated with one of the local estate agents with premises on New Union Street.
The City Council operates an Accredited Property Scheme, inspecting private rented property and accrediting it if it meets good standards both with regard to the amenities in the property and the management arrangements. When looking at property it is worth asking if it meets the standards of the Coventry Accredited Property Scheme (CAPS).
Rents in the private sector start at around £70 per week.
Removal Expenses Scheme
You may qualify for our Removal Expenses Scheme under which newly appointed staff may be offered a conditional grant towards the cost of moving house to Coventry or the surrounding area.
Conditions of the Scheme
The scheme is subject to the following conditions:-
- That the grant remains as a loan from the date on which it was originally made.
- That if the teacher leaves the employment of the school within two years of taking up the loan, then the loan is repayable in full.
- The scheme is not automatically available to all employees and may be offered at appointment by the school concerned.
- The scheme is normally only available to applicants who live outside a radius of 30 miles of the centre of Coventry and who move to within a radius of 15 miles of the centre of Coventry.
- The scheme is normally only available to staff for the first six months of employment although this may be extended subject to prior approval.
Provisions of the Scheme
The scheme provides for payment of expenses in the following categories, subject to an overall limit of £8,000.
- Removal Expenses - Up to £1,250 towards the lowest quoted cost of removal of household furniture and possessions based on three tenders (one of which must be from a Coventry firm).
- Legal and Other Fees - Up to £2,500 towards the actual cost of legal and other fees (e.g. Stamp Duty) involved in buying and selling a house.
- Estate Agents Fees - Up to £3,500 towards the actual cost of estate agents' commission, including VAT.
- Incidental Expenses - Up to £750 towards the actual costs of incidental resettlement expenses.
- Lodging Allowance - Up to £52 per week for eight weeks towards the cost of temporary accommodation / bed and breakfast etc.
Interest on Bridging Loans - In appropriate cases the cost of interest on bridging loans will be paid for net of income tax relief for the first six months of the loan. The interest payable is subject to the maximum payment claimed not exceeding £8,000.
