You may be interested to know that the Government is currently undertaking radical reforms to the social housing system. The Localism Act 2011 includes changes to the rules on tenure; the management of waiting lists; and the homelessness duty: which are designed to make the system fairer, striking a proper balance between the needs of new and existing tenants.
Councils will be able to set the rules which decide who qualifies to go on the housing waiting list. At the moment they have to keep ‘open’ waiting lists, meaning that anyone who is eligible can join a council’s waiting list, regardless of whether or not they need social housing.
Our tenure reforms will ensure that the support which social housing provides is focused on those who need it most but only for as long as they need it
Councils will be able to fully discharge the main homelessness duty with offers of accommodation in the private rented sector without requiring the applicant’s agreement. This change is about giving them freedom to make more efficient use of their own stock and better use of good-quality private sector housing that can provide suitable accommodation for homeless families.
These changes will ensure that councils can make better use of social housing and target support where it is needed most.
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