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East Devon 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 £170 and is taken to cover officers time in conducting the inspection and producing the inspection letter.

Application process

Please email pshousing@eastdevon.gov.uk or call 01395 571572 for an application form. 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 a 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 by email pshousing@eastdevon.gov.uk or by post with the completed application form to East Devon District Council, Private Sector Housing, Blackdown House, Border Road, Honiton, EX14 1EJ. 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.

Data Protection

Any personal information which you provide will be held and used by East Devon District Council for the purpose of this process. Your information may also be shared within East Devon District Council for the purposes of carrying out our lawful functions. Otherwise your personal information will not be disclosed to anybody outside East Devon District Council without your permission, unless there is a lawful reason to do so, for example disclosure is necessary for crime prevention or detection purposes. Your information will be held securely and will not be retained for any longer than is necessary. There are a number of rights available to you in relation to our use of your personal information, depending on the reason for processing. Further detail about our use of your personal information can be found in the relevant Privacy Notice.

Please contact us by email, post or telephone for an application form.