Warwick District Council can inspect properties in support of applications to the UK Border Agency for entry visas, where an independent assessment of the property is required as part of the application.
Fees
The fee for this service is £204.60 and is taken to cover officer's time in conducting the inspection and producing the inspection letter. If additional copies of the letter are required at a later date, there will be an administration charge of £6.90.
Payments for this service must be made online, we no longer accept cash or cheques.
Application process
An Inspection will be arranged only after the application form, supporting documents and fee have been received. The form should be completed and signed by the sponsor. The following documents will be required to support the application;
- Copy of a recent fuel utility bill for the property, giving the name and address of the bill payer.
- Copy of gas safety certificate. This must be obtained from a Gas Safe registered contractor.
- Copy of the tenancy agreement (if rented)
- If owner occupied, the Council will check if the property is registered at the Land Registry. If not, you will need to provide proof of title.
These need to be submitted with the completed application form to Warwick District Council, Town Hall, Parade, Royal Leamington Spa, CV32 4AT. Once these have been received, we will contact you to arrange an inspection within 10 working days.
Property inspection
A member of the team will visit the property and inspect it using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and the overcrowding provisions of the Housing Act 2004 to determine the suitability of the property. The property must be free from Category 1 Hazards, be in a reasonable state of repair, and have sufficient accommodation for both the current occupiers and any additional people who propose to live there.
Visiting Officers will need access to every room in the property and details for all occupants.
Following the inspection, you may be required to carry out works to your home to remove any Category 1 Hazards and/or provide additional documentation to prove the dwelling is safe for occupation, e.g. Electrical Certificate.
Inspection confirmation
The Council will then provide you with a letter detailing the following;
- The name and date of birth of the person(s) seeking entry to the UK.
- The address of the property inspected.
- The ownership and tenure of the property.
- Names and dates of birth of the current occupiers and their relationship.
- Whether the property was free from Category 1 Hazards at the time of inspection.
- Whether the property would be statutorily overcrowded by the addition of the person seeking to reside there.
Please note:
The immigration authorities will not accept letters that are greater than 12 weeks old.
If your letter does expire, we will not issue another until we have carried out a further inspection, for which you will be charged the full fee.
Contact us
Private Sector Housing, Warwick District Council, Town Hall, Parade, Leamington Spa CV32 4AT
E-mail: privatesectorhousing@warwickdc.gov.uk
Telephone: (01926) 456 359