Efficient allocation of social rented housing
Social rented housing remains a popular housing option for many people, about five million households rent accommodation from social landlords throughout Britain with more than one million households waiting for allocation of social rented housing across the country. The provision of social rented housing ensures people whose housing needs cannot be met by the general housing market, have somewhere decent to live.
It was in Liverpool that the first social housing was built in Britain, in the late 19th Century, aspart of a pioneering strategy to tackle public health problems associated with living in poor housing conditions. Differing views on which persons should be prioritised for an allocation of these first public-built homes, shows that debate about how best to allocate social rented housing, has been a matter of discussion since social housing was first made available to-let.
The conversation about best how to allocate social rented housing has continued well into the 21st Century. Local authorities in England and Wales retain a legal duty to operate a scheme for allocating social rented housing, even when they have transferred their housing stock, but not so in Scotland where this obligation only applies to stock retained councils. In districts where stock transfer has occurred, its particularly important for local authorities to have effective joint working arrangements with housing associations, to ensure all public housing law obligations can be fully satisfied. There is substantial statute that governs how local authorities must allocate social rented housing, meaning the rules and procedures for matching people to properties can appear to be overly bureaucratic, when compared to the light-touch regulations that housing associations in England and Wales are expected to follow. The disparity is not prevalent in Scotland as both local authorities and housing associations are expected to adhere to the same statute.
It’s very apparent that there is a huge appetite from the local authorities and housing associations to co-operate when allocating social rented housing. The priorities of both sectors are more aligned than not. The numerous common arrangements that exist between local authorities and housing associations for allocating social rented housing, such as shared databases of applicants or joint rules, demonstrates how saving and efficiencies can be gained when allocating social rented housing, without compromising on the quality of service provided to people seeking to apply for an allocation. Cooperative working can be further strengthened by effective nomination arrangements and integrated administration of allocations. Extending common arrangements for allocating social rented housing across a sub-region can bring, such as an extension of choice for applicants and a sharing of costs between a wider range of local authorities and housing associations.
In many areas of the country, demand for an allocation of social rented housing exceeds the supply available. Therefore, it’s especially important that the way social rented housing is allocated make best use of the stock available to-let. Equally significant, is to ensure those most in need of social rented housing are prioritised for an allocation. Finally, rules for allocating social rented housing must satisfy all requirements set-out in law. Keeping these principles at the forefront of how we allocate social rented housing will help to create balanced communities and reduce housing inequalities.
