We are making some changes to the housing Allocation Scheme and we want to hear your views on our suggestions.
All local authorities in England must have an Allocation Scheme to decide:
· who gets priority for social housing
· who is eligible
· how the policy is applied
Your feedback will be used to shape the Allocation Scheme. This will help us to make sure that it works effectively and that it is fair and responsive to housing need across the borough.
Summary of changes
Further detail on the proposed changes will be provided throughout the consultation, but the six, main proposed changes are as below:
1. We will change the banding structure. This will help us to reallocate priority for different rehousing reasons, ensuring that the Allocation Scheme is responsive to housing needs within the borough.
2. We will modify the “overcrowded” rehousing reason to ensure that those experiencing the most severe overcrowding are prioritised.
3. We will create a new “priority homeless with additional need” rehousing reason to ensure that we are able to respond to very specific cases of homelessness across the borough.
4. We will increase the number of properties an applicant can bid for each week.
5. Where applicable, we will reduce the “Three Offer” rule for refusing a property to a “Two Offer” rule.
6. We will ring-fence up to 20% of properties on the register. This will help us to make best use of the available social housing with the resources that we already have.
We would like to hear what you think. You can complete our online consultation available here. If you have any questions or would like more information, please email us at housingconsultation@lewisham.gov.uk
The consultation will close on 14th February 2021.
If you would like to join the register please be aware that you will have to meet our eligibility criteria, and that there are many more people registered than there are homes available. You will not be able to bid on a property until you have joined the register and your application is approved.
If you are an existing tenant of a registered social landlord please contact your landlord with any queries relating to your application.
Search for housing
Properties that are available for rent will be advertised from Thursday to Sunday each week. Please note that on weeks with a bank holiday there will be no properties advertised.
If you see a property you are eligible for and interested in then login and apply for it. This process is known as bidding. You can also view results of recent lettings.
For help to use Lewisham Homesearch please use the Lewisham Homesearch Six Step Guide.
The majority of downloadable documents on our website are in PDF format. To view a PDF document you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded for free.