Council housing list

bextas

My partner and I have been on the housing list for 18 months. We are in an E banding low priority and as we have a baby can bid on 2 bed properties. Most of the time when I bid we are ranked over 20 however today when bidding opened there were 18 flats to choose from most of them stipulate working households only and the three I bid on stipulated must only have 1 child I've just checked and we are ranked 1-5 on all 3. This looks good for us doesn't it? Although I suppose we are only 1-5 right now but bidding doesn't close until Tuesday. It's got my hopes up though because usually the ranking doesn't show until at least a few days in to bidding. I really hope we get one we desperately need my son in his own room so we all get some decent sleep!

theartfullodger

Very interesting:

What is your question??

How do you hope MSE may help you in your circumstances???

Cheers!

[Deleted User]

Which town/city are you bidding in?
It's the first day of bidding and you have nearly a good few days until bidding ends, so it is unlikely. There are so many people after council properties.

I would try not to get your hopes up, if it's meant to be it will be. I was on our council's lowest priority band for 78 long months before we managed to get somewhere.

BigAunty

bextas wrote: »

most of them stipulate working households only

Can social housing landlords actually stipulate this? I thought there were national laws on social housing allocation with only a minor amount of discretion permitted locally, such as how the landlords define a 'local connection' for example.

Also, you say that some only permit 1 child but social housing allocation policies usually expect children of certain composition of ages/sexes to share and will only ever class the two children that fall within this category as being entitled to one bedroom.

I'm actually in favour of an allocation process that results in more mixed communities, not just ghettos full of needy households since social housing allocation is primarily needs based.

I'm just really surprised that this social housing allocation process has been allowed to stipulate working families with 1 child only as its criteria.

I suppose if you do succeed in winning your choice based letting bid, this illustrates that most of your competition to date has been workless households with multiple children if they are not now bidding with you or have I misinterpreted?

EDIT - A Housing benefit officer responded to my query about the level of discretion that a social housing landlord has over allocation policy. "Yes each Local Authority has voted on their criteria for allocating social housing. Some give priority to ex servicemen etc. All part of the Localism Act." I think things changed in November last year but I haven't kept up to date.

LADYXXMACBETH

We have recently come off the social housing waiting list in our town because after 4 years we have got nowhere.
I have 3 children, two are disabled we are in a 2 bed roomed house with no central heating and no hot running water except the shower.
We were placed in band D and we have never got close to getting a house. you often here things about people being in b&bs and hostels for months and months and I would guess that these houses go to them. Sometimes in our area houses come up you bid on them and then they are withdrawn from the bidding process and I suspect this is due to emergencies coming in etc.
there is such a shortage of affordable council housing and priority has to go to those in greatest need. There is a family opposite us with 8 children in a 2bed house and there is no where to move them to.
Hopefully you will get a bit of luck because I think you will need it. I don't want to depress you. Have you thought of any other options that might be open to you? I don't know what they would be but maybe ask the local council.

gay_guy

Hello Op,

I am confused as to why it's taking you longer? In 2011 I was living with my parents and I bidded on a 1 bedroom flats on a weekly basis and I got my flat what I am living in 6 months later and I moved into this 1 bedroom flat in January 2012 and it's a housing association called (Calico Housing) and I am in Burnley.

I have no special needs, I am not disabled so just confused as to why it's taking you longer :eek:

patman99

One piece of advice my son was given regarding bidding & that was 'always bid on the last day, not the first'.

gingergee

gay_guy wrote: »

Hello Op,

I am confused as to why it's taking you longer? In 2011 I was living with my parents and I bidded on a 1 bedroom flats on a weekly basis and I got my flat what I am living in 6 months later and I moved into this 1 bedroom flat in January 2012 and it's a housing association called (Calico Housing) and I am in Burnley.

I have no special needs, I am not disabled so just confused as to why it's taking you longer :eek:

Rough guess but...... ages ago i found an article that listed social housing areas, the number of people on the list, the number of available houses and an estimate of waiting period. Burnley ( where I'm originally from btw) was the only one with more available properties than people waiting!!!!! I even told my mum, who was on a waiting list, to apply with Burnley council as she was working there at the time.
Could explain why you got one so fast. I was in bronze band and was bidding on anything and everything when i got offered my home. I was 134th on the list!!! But no-one wante it as its very rural. And our ha has a maximum number of occupants rule, though i think they'd compromise seeing how hard these homes are to rent out if i was to have another baby.

Shelldean

gay_guy wrote: »

Hello Op,

I am confused as to why it's taking you longer? In 2011 I was living with my parents and I bidded on a 1 bedroom flats on a weekly basis and I got my flat what I am living in 6 months later and I moved into this 1 bedroom flat in January 2012 and it's a housing association called (Calico Housing) and I am in Burnley.

I have no special needs, I am not disabled so just confused as to why it's taking you longer :eek:

Am guessing it's to do with area, olus the fact you only wanted a one bed
. Houses round here are like gold dust, so people have terrible trouble getting one.
You wanted a one bed while most want at least two bedroom due to having children.
My neighbour moved from here to Burnley as here she was only entitled to a two bedroom, but was guaranteed a three bed plus moving expenses paid if she moved.




I waited just over a yr for my first place ( only got that one as sister had a baby and overcrowded our Nans even more)
And I waited 18 mths for this place.
These were quite short waits compared to others.




so a combination of the above meant you didn't wait too long, while round here you'd wait a lot longer.




edited to add I am in a London borough.

Shelldean

should've finished reading first... Gingergee has confirmed it is all to do with area.

outofmoney

We have finally made it to the top 5 after 14 years. But, last month there were 9 x 4 bed properties available, so logic would tell you we would be lucky. Not so, as we only got put on the list for two of them. No idea why but it resulted in us not being successful.

Like you OP, we had our hopes up. We have since bid on another house, but no joy there either. So just waiting for this weeks list to see what we can bid on this time.

Hope you are not as unlucky as us.