hope this is the right thread re council housing

indebtinsussex

we currently rent and are on the council housing list to get a house and are in the lowest band as we can just about afford our rent, but we can bid (although nothing suitable in the area has come up since being on the list)

Ive just had a letter through today from the council which has said that because they consider us to have adequate housing that if we havent been successful by the end of the year they will take us off the bidding system.

my question is, can they do this? I spoke to a lady today in housing to ask about this and she said that as they consider our housing adequate, and we have until the end of the year to hopefully have a successful bid.

we can only just afford our bills each month due to the high rental prices in the area (assuming that nothing goes wrong) and were hoping to eventually get a house through the council to give us a bit of breathing space.

additionally, if our landlady decides to sell next year we're then back to square one and will have to be put back on the register with potentially nowhere to go (we cant move out of the area because I cant drive because of problems with my eyesight and theres no regular enough public transport to get my son to school on time)

any ideas on what I can do to appeal this decision, apart from keeping everything crossed that we have a successful bid before the end of the year

BigAunty

I used to think that councils had an obligation to accept valid applicants onto their waiting list, whatever their status. However, I understand that some councils, including Croydon for example, simply don't let those with no chance of securing social housing to submit an application.

You can contact Shelter who are experts in housing matters to clarify if this is permitted. Do come back to the forum and let us know what they say.

The Shelter website will tell you how social housing is allocated - it is needs based and there's such a shortage of stock in some areas that councils struggle to fulfill their statutory obligation to house the homeless, let alone any lower priority applicants.

In the meantime, check if you have any entitlement to housing benefit (local housing allowance) or other benefits by finding out the rate for the size of property you are permitted in your local area - info on the Direct Gov and local council website.

Then enter your income and the LHA rate into the Turn2us online benefit calculator.

How much is the LHA rate compared to your rent?

BigAunty

I had a quick browse at your historic posts which indicated you may live in Brighton, then I had a look at their council housing stock versus the waiting list.

From the info I found, it looks like Brighton council has 12,300 social housing properties which make up about 11% of housing stock and a waiting list of 12,000, you have a very low prospect of securing social housing if you still live there, due to low numbers of available properties (supply) versus demand.

I believe that B&H council have such problems meeting their statutory obligations (legal requirement to house priority applicants) that they seek properties from private landlords to house their homeless.

One of my mates rented out her former residential property to them for 3 years on their private sector leasing scheme and got it back in a totally trashed condition. They got it back very late as the tenant wouldn't move out until the council gave her exactly the type of housing she wanted and the council said they couldn't evict her because of the Human Rights Act whereby the local courts were unlikely to grant them possession.

indebtinsussex

we come under arun district, how do I find out about the housing list versus the waiting list?

there seems to be two registers here, one being the housing register which we are band d on, and the other being that you can bid on suitable houses every two weeks.

I dont mind waiting on the bidding list until a house comes along that we can bid on (have already accepted I have a snowballs chance in hell for actually moving up on the housing register!), but I just think its really unfair that we're being taken off the register for being able to bid just because we've got a private rental property (which I cant guarantee we will have any longer than what our tenancy agreement it)

will definately look at the shelter website.

nannytone_2

as far back as 2002, i have first hand knowlegde of councils doing this.

i was living in a london borough and my son got married and tried to go on the council list.

they said that he and his wife earnt sufficiently to rent pribately and refused to accept them on the list.

it really depends on the demand for social housing in the area you live.

where i live now, it is fairly easy to get social housing. i only waited 3 months and was goven a new build flat.

OP.... have you looked into which housing associations serve your area?

BigAunty

indebtinsussex wrote: »

we come under arun district, how do I find out about the housing list versus the waiting list?
.

Most councils are very transparent about supply versus demand so you might be able to find the info on their website, or google for it in order to unearth a report. Or just ask them.

indebtinsussex wrote: »

..

I dont mind waiting on the bidding list until a house comes along that we can bid on (have already accepted I have a snowballs chance in hell for actually moving up on the housing register!), but I just think its really unfair that we're being taken off the register for being able to bid just because we've got a private rental property (which I cant guarantee we will have any longer than what our tenancy agreement it)

...

Then perhaps you are just getting a false degree of confidence from being accepted on the list if lower priority bands never secure any social housing anyway - you'd just be a line on a database entry gathering dust.

Generally, to be considered in priority need, an applicant has to be homeless - no security of tenure past the next 28 days. This might not mean that your landlord has served notice but that they have taken you to court to regain possession and have a court order before the council acts. See the Shelter website to understand how councils process homelessness applications.

Local councils cannot house everyone who finds private housing expensive and insecure. In the south-east, there is a critical shortage of social housing. Perhaps you don't have a realistic understanding of supply versus demand and the allocation process.

Even if your council, for example, had 5,000 social housing properties and 2,500 households on the waiting list and had a turnover of 500 properties per year (made up figures), most applicants would still not secure any social housing because each month 50 high priority applicants leapfrogged over them and were allocated the available properties.

indebtinsussex

not too sure, basically hubbie earns £23,500 a year which we can just about afford to rent in the area we are (our rent is £875 a month which is the norm), and someone mentioned to us that there was no reason why we couldnt go on the housing register to make bids for houses that come up.

we get about £120 a month in housing benefit, which does go some way in helping, although its more about having some long term housing security for our family which you cant get with a rental property

they accepted us on the housing register no problems in band d as the lowest priority. every two weeks a list gets published of houses that you can apply for and its pot luck who gets them (this is in addition to the housing list they run,, but as mentioned previously I've accepted we will never get a house this way).

I dont know how to find out what housing associations serve the area but would really be interested as desperate for more affordable housing with a lguaranteed long term let

DomRavioli

indebtinsussex wrote: »

not too sure, basically hubbie earns £23,500 a year which we can just about afford to rent in the area we are (our rent is £875 a month which is the norm), and someone mentioned to us that there was no reason why we couldnt go on the housing register to make bids for houses that come up.

we get about £120 a month in housing benefit, which does go some way in helping, although its more about having some long term housing security for our family which you cant get with a rental property

they accepted us on the housing register no problems in band d as the lowest priority. every two weeks a list gets published of houses that you can apply for and its pot luck who gets them (this is in addition to the housing list they run,, but as mentioned previously I've accepted we will never get a house this way).

I dont know how to find out what housing associations serve the area but would really be interested as desperate for more affordable housing with a lguaranteed long term let

Your local council housing department will have a list of social housing landlords such as housing associations.

http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1194094 is a link to brighton and hove, but a quick google search will be able to help.

indebtinsussex

BigAunty wrote: »

Most councils are very transparent about supply versus demand so you might be able to find the info on their website, or google for it in order to unearth a report. Or just ask them.



Then perhaps you are just getting a false degree of confidence from being accepted on the list if lower priority bands never secure any social housing anyway - you'd just be a line on a database entry gathering dust.

Generally, to be considered in priority need, an applicant has to be homeless - no security of tenure past the next 28 days. This might not mean that your landlord has served notice but that they have taken you to court to regain possession and have a court order before the council acts. See the Shelter website to understand how councils process homelessness applications.

Local councils cannot house everyone who finds private housing expensive and insecure. In the south-east, there is a critical shortage of social housing. Perhaps you don't have a realistic understanding of supply versus demand and the allocation process.

Even if your council, for example, had 5,000 social housing properties and 2,500 households on the waiting list and had a turnover of 500 properties per year (made up figures), most applicants would still not secure any social housing because each month 50 high priority applicants leapfrogged over them and were allocated the available properties.

you're probably right about not having a full understanding about the system, as mentioned our council has two housing lists and I assumed the bidding list was for everyone including the people in lower bands, on a pot luck basis that if you bid you got it, and the traditional council housing list was on a priority basis (which is why I accepted we wouldnt get a house through this route).

I'm just surprised that after being accepted on the list so that we could bid for any suitable council properties that were coming up in the area, we're now being taken off it, its not like we're actually causing them any additional work by being on the bidding list.

nannytone_2

ask the council which housing associations operate in your area.

it may or may not be easoer to get a property from a HA ... i am in HA property, but was nominated by my council. but not all areas operate they same sustems.

gingergee

Im in a HA house, huge 3 bed semi in its own ground with one other house. Our HA is the same as council, they are all social houses, with an option to buy at some point, I have a lifetime (if i want to) tenancy. Totally off the point, back to the OP, I was 134th!! on the list for this house, in bronze (same as D) band. We were in a 4 bed cottage, paying 750 a mth rent, We bid on anything and everything. We got this house cos everyone in front of me in the queue turned it down, Same with another house near me, the people in that were in a private let, enough rooms etc and had only been on the list for 3 weeks! The Housing officer actually turned up at her house to offer the property! Could understand if we were on the middle of a run down, full of crime estate, but we are not.
Id apply to different councils, widen the area in which your prepared to live. As i was prepared to live anywhere (even 4 miles from a road, 7 from a shop etc, in a village with no amenities etc) i got housed. I wouldnt change it for a thing though, its lovely on the middle of Exmoor lol!! (not in the snow pfft!!)
Bid on everything i say!! x