Housing and Planning
New home allocation scheme in Bromley
Bromley Council has launched a new scheme to allocate housing association properties in the borough called Bromley Homeseekers.
Council officials are stressing that the scheme, which is operated by Home Connections on behalf of the authority, does not signal an increase in the number of available homes or that people will be offered housing more quickly.
Instead the scheme is designed to help ensure those eligible for housing are better informed and make realistic decisions about their housing and what is available to them.
Existing housing applicants who have responded to the requests sent to them to review their information have been re-registered on the system. Future applicants will register on-line. For all applicants, instead of being offered properties from the limited social housing stock, they will ‘bid’ for the advertised properties that they meet the criteria for. The property will then be let to those who have placed a ‘bid’ and who have the highest priority.
For those with a similar priority, the property will be let to the household who has been on the housing register longest. The Council will publicise the priority of the successful household and how long they had been waiting to show people how long they can expect to wait for accommodation as well as highlighting the limited number of properties that become available.
Councillor Graham Arthur, Executive Councillor for Adult and Community Services the new allocations policy “is a great way to use new technology to help people make informed and realistic choices about where they live and what’s available. It is also an important part of our overall approach to housing in the borough, which is to help people manage their expectations as well as look at a range of housing options and not simply apply for the very limited supply of social rented housing.”
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Its a good idea in theory but really shows just how silly the system is. The “good properties in nice areas of Beckenham and Shortlands are always listed as being open to bodding only by those who are in receipt of full housing benefit, the minority of people like me who work hard to pay their own way have to bid on the smaller, cheaper properties in less desierable areas. How does that figure? How about make those who claim full housing benefit get a part time just to help pay their rent and subsidise the rent of those who work full tiem already.