Have your say on proposed changes to the housing allocations scheme

1.  

The council is proposing a change to rules for joining the housing register. Currently, only people who have lived in Croydon for at least three years can apply. The new proposal is to extend this (known as the residency criteria) to six years. This change aims to give priority to people who have lived in Croydon longer and make sure they have a better chance of finding a home.

Why are we proposing this?

This will ensure that the Council can let more homes to Croydon residents. The exceptions to residency criteria are set out in the policy and include those who are homeless, at risk of violence, need to move for health, disability or welfare reasons. 

This proposal will not be retrospective and have no effect if you are already on the housing register but apply to all applications from the date the final policy change is agreed.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

3.  

The Council wants to do more to help care experienced young adults (CEYA) who are looked after by Croydon Council, to find stable housing. To better support them, we plan to offer them a higher priority for housing from Band 3 (low priority) to a Band 2 (medium priority).  

Additionally, if a care experienced young adult is working or in training, they will be given a Band 1 priority .

Why are we proposing this? 

As a corporate parent, the Council has a duty to provide support, advice, and guidance to care experienced young adults as they leave our care. This includes assisting them in finding appropriate accommodation for their needs. 

The Council has a joint children services and housing panel that discusses an individual’s housing and support needs and agrees the appropriate housing option for each CEYA as part of a pathway plan. This proposal will help in giving our care leavers better access to the housing they need.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

5.  

We propose that sheltered housing should be offered to residents who have reached state pension age. We also propose that if someone is over 60 but hasn’t reached the state pension age, and would benefit from the supportive environment within a sheltered scheme, we will do a suitability assessment based on health-related and support needs.

Why are we proposing this?

Within the current allocation scheme, the age criteria is not clearly defined and an assessment to understand if a resident would benefit from sheltered accommodation is not undertaken. This has led to properties being allocated to residents under 60 years of age who do not need to be in sheltered accommodation.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

7.  

Housing reciprocal agreements are a collaboration between a local authority and another council or housing provider.

It benefits people who are at risk of violence or abuse to move to a safe place in another area, while retaining their security of tenure.

Why are we proposing this?

Arranging transfers to other boroughs was previously carried out through the Mayor of London’s pan-London reciprocal housing scheme which has recently closed. Although the Council can never guarantee finding a suitable reciprocal arrangement, this proposed change to the scheme will ensure this option remains available to our Council and housing association tenants.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

9.  

An annual housing lettings plan can help the Council better manage homes and meet the needs of the community. This plan will help to predict available housing each year and prioritise it for those who need it most.

Why are we proposing this?

With limited housing stock available and increasing demand for housing, managing and planning the allocation of properties is becoming increasingly difficult. This proposal gives the Council the ability to respond more effectively to areas of housing need by annually forecasting and setting targets to ensure the best use of resources.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

11.  

To make it easier to understand, we have simplified how we deal with a change in circumstances. The following change is proposed:

If your housing need changes and you are awarded a higher priority band, for example, moved from priority ‘band 3’ to priority ‘band 2’, your application priority date will be the date of the reassessment.

If your housing need changes and your priority band is lowered, for example from priority ‘band 2’ to priority ‘band 3’ you will keep the date of your original assessment.

Why are we proposing this?

The current allocation scheme isn't clear about how a change in circumstances will affect application priority dates. It currently states that ‘if awarded a higher status (priority) you will be placed in the middle of the next band’. This is confusing and hard for officers to administer. 

The change will not be retrospective but apply to all new applications from the date the final policy change is agreed.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

13.  

Currently, the Council aims to process housing register applications within 10 working days. The proposal is to increase the response time to 30 working days which is more realistic in line with increased demand.

Why are we proposing this?

The Council has benchmarked response times against other London boroughs which showed that a 10-day turnaround target was unrealistic, with the average being 30 working days.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

15.  

The current policy sets out a requirement to keep the housing register up to date. However, a regular review has not been carried out. We are proposing that everyone on the housing register will need to confirm they are still in housing need once a year. If someone doesn’t respond within the stated deadline of 28 days, their application will be cancelled.

Why are we proposing this?

To reflect an accurate picture of overall housing need in Croydon.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

17.  

Due to the shortage of available homes and the number of families living in overcrowded conditions, we are proposing a new option for residents. Under the scheme, residents may bid for or be offered homes that are one bedroom smaller than their assessed bedroom size, but there are some exceptions:

- residents with one or more children cannot bid for studio flats

- some housing associations may not allow bids for homes that have fewer bedrooms than the resident’s assessed bedroom size.

- the Council may not offer smaller homes if this will lead to the household being statutorily overcrowded.

Why are we proposing this?

We have over 2000 households who require two or three bedrooms more than their current accommodation. This proposed change has been introduced in other London boroughs and gives families affected by overcrowding a better chance of improving their housing options if they are willing to compromise on bedroom size.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

19.  

Currently, some people with a medical disability who are living in overcrowded, unsanitary or unsuitable housing, or facing financial hardship, receive two offers of accommodation. 

We are proposing the following changes:

- Only one offer of accommodation will be made, except where the property is under-occupied, has adaptations that are no longer required by the tenant or is subject to a local lettings plan (e.g. estate regeneration).  

- Those who refuse a suitable offer of accommodation will be suspended on the housing register for 12 months, or the Council will end its housing duty if they are owed a homelessness duty. This will mean that they will have to make their own accommodation arrangements. The residents will have a right to request a review of this decision if they disagree.

Why are we proposing this?

The proposed change is to discourage the refusal of reasonable offers by applicants which delays reletting properties to others who need them at a time of high housing need.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal?