There are advantages and disadvantages of renting a home from a council or local housing association. Top tip: talk to someone you know (friend or family) who rents in one of these ways

The advantages are:

• Housing benefit might be able to help you with all or part of your rent.
• Repairs and maintenance will mostly be the responsibility of the council or housing association.
• The notice you have to give if you want to move is much shorter than if you buy your home.
• No need to pay a deposit.
• You stay in that house so long as you follow the rules in your tenancy agreement

The disadvantages are:

• You will be put on a waiting list and may have to wait a long time to be offered somewhere.
• You probably will not have lots of choice about what homes you can have or area they are in.
• You might not be eligible for a home from a council or local housing association in your area depending on their rules.
• You might be limited with the changes you can make to your home.
• Rights can be different for different Housing associations tenancies, and this can affect how protected you are from eviction.

Top Tip Always check what the tenancy agreement says