WHAT DOES THE EVANGELICAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION DO?
When retiring pastors, missionaries or other church workers find themselves without housing provision because they have lived in a manse or in rented property linked to their ministry, EHA seeks to help with the provision of retirement housing. The EHA works with these individuals and their spouses to identify a suitable property taking into account their preferred location and their spiritual, emotional, relational, family and financial needs. EHA then purchase the property and then rents it to the retirees at a below commercial rent.
Although the increasing trend for church pastors to own their own homes is to be welcomed, there is a continuing need for EHA to provide housing in this way.
HOW IT WORKS
The EHA doesn’t hold a stock of properties, but will buy a home as near as possible to where a retiring applicant would like to live, subject to price and availability. Ideally, having several years’ notice of a forthcoming retirement is helpful to assist the EHA management committee with planning and budgeting.’
The stages of the process:
- Applicant registers with EHA
- An expected retirement date is given
- An area of the UK they would like to live is identified
- EHA buys a property
- A below commercial rate rent is paid on that property and the tenants have security of tenure in retirement with a tenancy agreement that sets out the rights and obligations of both parties.
- At the commencement of the tenancy, the expectation is that the tenants are able to live independently; look after and maintain the property internally; and be able to work with EHA to maintain and keep in good repair the exterior and fabric of the property etc.
- Should the circumstances or health of tenants deteriorate, EHA will consider making adaptations to the property to assist the tenants (e.g. installing mobility aids, accessible bathroom facilities). However EHA is not able to offer any personal or financial assistance to tenants.
EHA recommends that anyone who thinks they may need the assistance of EHA in providing retirement accommodation to contact us at an early stage, certainly if you are within 5 years of retirement. If you wish to explore if the EHA might be able to help you, please contact the EHA secretary via the Contact Us page of the website