Housing
The Almshouses
Styleman’s Almshouses sit on the northern side of Bexley High Street, and are conveniently located for all the shops, cafes and services in the High Street. There are bus stops close by and Bexley station is very near too.
The almshouses consist of a row of 12 self-contained small houses (one of which is used as offices). They are Grade 2 listed and sit in the Bexley Village Conservation Area. The houses look much as they did when they were built in 1755, but they have been extended and modernised several times since then. Each house has the same facilities, consisting of a sitting room, kitchen, conservatory and a WC on the ground floor, with a bedroom and bathroom upstairs. The houses benefit from central heating and secondary double glazing. There is also a large communal garden and a summer house at the rear of the almshouses.
Residents pay a weekly contribution which goes towards the cost of maintaining the buildings, and are responsible for their own utility bills, council tax & general living expenses.
Because of their size, the almshouses are only suitable for single people or couples. There is no warden on site and the Clerk only works part-time, so residents need to be able to live independently.
Availability and Residency Requirements
Vacancies are rare at Styleman’s Almshouses; most residents stay for many years. For that reason, we regret that we are unable to help as many people as we would like.
However, when vacancies do arise, we are keen to fill them quickly. There are some minimum criteria that we apply. Prospective residents should:
- Have permanent residence in the UK and be normally resident in the London Borough of Bexley;
- Be over 55 years of age;
- Be single people or a couple (we cannot accommodate dependent children in the almshouses);
- Be able to live independently;
- Have limited income and savings; and
- Be in acute need of a home.
We should point out that the Almshouses are provided unfurnished, although the Charities provide fitted kitchens and bathrooms. No pets are allowed to be in permanent residence.
Applications
If you would like to go on the list for future vacant almshouses, please email the Clerk at bexleyunitedcharities@outlook.com. When a vacancy arises, the Clerk will send you an application form to complete, so that we can find out a bit more about you and your needs.
We will then process your application and may send a trustee or trustees to visit you at your current residence to discuss your application and to assess your existing situation. We will then consider all this and make a decision on your application.
Get In Touch
If you would like further information on the Charities’ work, please contact the Clerk to the Trustees, either by:
13 Bexley High Street
Bexley
Kent, DA5 1AB
