Consultation agreed on change to council home allocations

The current Choice Based Lettings (CBL) system involves people bidding for a property when it becomes available.  The bidding process takes two weeks from start to finish before applicants can be shortlisted.  However, for many years demand has far exceeded supply, with as many as four times the number of applicants on the register as there are annual lettings of properties. Many applicants spend years on the waiting list with little or no realistic prospect of an offer.

The CBL model also causes significant delays and administrative burdens for staff, with minimal evidence that it encourages applicants to broaden their areas of choice or improve their chances of being re-housed in council accommodation.  In response, an independent review has recommended that the council develop a new policy.

Councillor Mark Slater, Cabinet Member for Tenants and those in housing need, said:

"Most residents will be aware that the demand for council homes outstrips supply, with families stranded on the housing register for far too long, often remaining stuck in poor quality and unsuitable accommodation.

"We are consulting on a new model called Property Match that has the potential to improve the way people on the register access a council home. It is not a silver bullet that will solve all the deep-rooted issues that impact the availability of social housing, but we believe it is very positive step forward."

Property Match removes the bidding process and instead, empty properties are immediately offered to the best suited families and individuals on the housing register.  If adopted, applicants would continue to be prioritised into bands, with a registration date, as they are in the current CBL system.

The main difference is that it would no longer be necessary for people to place 'bids' online and wait to the end of a bidding cycle to see if they have been successful, meaning the whole process is sped up, which also reduces the amount of time it takes for a property to be re-let.

Councillor Slater added:

"I see numerous advantages of Property Match over Choice Based Lettings, most notably the speed of the process, the greater clarity and transparency and much improved customer service. Allied to this, applicants will still be able to express a preference for where they would like to live, decline the first two offers made without any impact on their status on the register and continue to be able to challenge the reasonableness of offers they receive."

For more information about how to take part in the consultation, please visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/consultations

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