Cumbria Choice - Choice Base Lettings

HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS AND COUNCILS ARE CHANGING THE WAY THEY LET PROPERTY.

The way social housing is allocated across Cumbria is set to change at the end of 2010.
The 6 District Authorities and 8 Housing Organisations are working together to develop a new way of letting their properties which will give more choice to local people needing social rented housing. The 8 housing organisations are; Accent Housing; Derwent & Solway; Eden Housing; Home; Impact Housing; Riverside; Two Castles, South Lakes Arms Length Management Organisation.
 
Currently the customer has to register with each housing organisation and then wait to be made an offer. Under choice based lettings customers will only need to complete one application form. Landlords will advertise their properties through the scheme and customers will then choose the homes for which they want to be considered. Where point based schemes are used they will be replaced with a banding system. Priority will still be given to those with a local connection. However 10% of properties will be made available to people to move across Local Authority areas.
 
Although it will not increase the numbers of homes available, the Cumbria Scheme will provide a more transparent and accountable way of letting homes, and more importantly will give people more choice about where they would prefer to live.