Choice Based Lettings – Survey Results

Choice Based Letting

Choice-based lettings (CBL) schemes are designed to introduce an element of choice for people who apply for housing association homes. Choice-based lettings allow people applying for homes with us (including existing tenants who want a transfer) to ‘bid’ for available properties.

Available properties for rent are advertised with a deadline for anyone who is interested.  Potential residents express their interest in the properties and the applicant who is considered to be in the greatest housing need is usually given first refusal of the property.  If that person turns the offer down, the next person on the list gets the chance to view the property and so on.

We asked Adactus500 members for their views on CBL as apposed to the current application process.

What we learned from the results

The majority of Adactus500 members felt that CBL was a good idea as long as it was done fairly.  However, some felt there was a danger of increasing the time properties were left empty and could risk to higher priority applicants missing out only because they were not able to access the internet or organise a bid.

Many tenants felt the current application process is too complicated and that properties need to be advertised through a variety of mediums; having a scheme where existing tenants can nominate prospective applicants was suggested.

»Please click here to see the infographics report

»Please click here to see the full survey results

What we will do with the results:

We are currently reviewing our approach to allocations and lettings and we will feed the results of this consultation into our review.  The papers will be going to board during the August – September board cycle, and primarily we will be looking to simplify the whole process.

Thank you to all of you who contributed to the survey.

We are really interested in your views on this, so please leave us a comment below.