Issue - meetings

Joint Housing Allocation Policy - Minor Amendment

Meeting: 06/02/2013 - Cabinet (Item 7)

7 Joint Housing Allocation Policy - Minor Amendment pdf icon PDF 32 KB

Decision:

That the proposed amendment to the Joint Housing Allocations Policy as set out above be approved.

Minutes:

Councillor Boden, portfolio holder for Regeneration, Planning and Town Centres, introduced a report highlighting a request for an amendment to the Joint Housing Allocations Policy from Aspire Housing prior to the Policy launch in the New Year.  The request had been made following recent investigations into the housing association’s void performance, which had revealed that refusal rates were high and refusal reasons suggested that customers appeared to be bidding on properties without giving full consideration to whether they would actually be prepared to accept a tenancy for the property.

 

A range of options had been considered and these were set out in detail in the report.

 

It was proposed that the Joint Housing Allocations Policy be amended to permit applicants to place an unlimited number of bids on properties advertised each week under the NHA Options CBL scheme; however if an applicant made an unreasonable refusal of an offer or did not respond to an offer within the timescale on the offer notification, that their application would be suspended for six months.

 

It was noted that Councillors Mrs Beech and Williams had been appointed to the board of Aspire Housing as representatives of the council, and it was therefore unnecessary for them to declare interests in that regard.

 

Resolved:     That the proposed amendment to the Joint Housing Allocations Policy as set out above be approved.