MattW Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Hi there, Just wondered if any of you peeps renting privately or living at home were on a housing register (not so much a 'waiting list' these days!) with your local authority? Or maybe you have been offered such a property to rent? Would be good to hear of your experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I put myself on it in Feb.2005, when I got the boot from my previous place (landlady was selling up). No expectation of anything happening of course (I'm male, white, able-bodied, no sprogs ... all the wrong boxes to tick), just contributing to their statistics. I don't know if I'm still on the register. I haven't taken myself off, but it's not as if I ever hear from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebbedee Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I put myself on in Aberdeen in 1994, they have my mothers address for me, again white, able bodied, male, no sproggs, and I never heard from them. Now 400 miles away and have been for the last decade . You nee to be able to fart out a couple of kids, have just got off the banana boat or get a goon to shatter a leg or two to get housed otherwise you just have to pay for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thanks, guys. Yep, I'm also white, male, able bodied and no sprogs too. I anticipate a very long wait. Maybe I'll get a retirement bungalow once I reach the age requirement. Was previously on the waiting list between 2000 and 2004 and got nowhere. Rejoined the Local Authority scheme at the start of this year. They said I was a 'Low Need' priority. I have decided to bid on the most suitable properties weekly but I won't hold my breath to be first in the queue for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilf Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 A friend of mine some years ago said the best way was to just go the office and tell them that you have nowhere else to go and that you are going to sit there until they find you a place. Worked for him he sat their all day and in the end they found a flat for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Last week I had a rather disappointing choice of 12 properties to choose from. This unscientific observation meant that a large number of people chasing a small number of properties meant over 100 bidders per property. I was 165th in the queue for one flat (admittedly in a popular part of the city). It is indeed a sad state of affairs that these is such a lack of affordable housing out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeymadman Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) I'm on the list too; have been for about 5 years, and am also a white able bodied male with no children. I don't do the lottery, so I regard it as a kind of free version of the same. It's also done by bids here, and sometimes there aren't even enough properties for me to use the three allocated bids (even before considering whether they are at all desireable). Originally there tended to be 50-150 people after a property, but over time that's gone up and there's now generally between 200 and 300 people after a property. The highest was last month, at 404. Apart from when developments of new properties have been released, a property hasn't gone to someone in the same priority band as me since May 2008, when a property in a reasonably dodgy area went to someone that had been on the list since 1995. This May a newbuild property went to someone in the same band as me who'd been on the list only 10 weeks longer than me, however there are so many people on the list that I was over 20 in the queue for that property (they tell you whether you are 2,3, 4, 5, 6-10, 11-20 or 20+). I feel there are reasons for entering the housing lottery through. There is an element of chance when a number of flats in a new block are offered - it splits up bids so that you could well be lucky in that you go after one when all the people who've been waiting longer go after others. There's also a lot of new build developments in Cambridge where they have to give a proportion to housing associations and I'd happily pay a below market rent for one until they fall apart / until they turn into ghettos / until I can afford something decent. Edited July 25, 2011 by mikeymadman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 i was on the list for a garage near me. it took 7 years for them to realise that 6 out of the 10 garages were empty/not used and offered one to me. i accpeted 1 month later the council sent a letter round saying they was knocking them down as they are under utilised and the space could be better used for flats. i asked if i would get a falt there as compensation for loosing my garage/lockup - i had no reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Apart from when developments of new properties have been released, a property hasn't gone to someone in the same priority band as me since May 2008, when a property in a reasonably dodgy area went to someone that had been on the list since 1995. This May a newbuild property went to someone in the same band as me who'd been on the list only 10 weeks longer than me, however there are so many people on the list that I was over 20 in the queue for that property (they tell you whether you are 2,3, 4, 5, 6-10, 11-20 or 20+). It is quite fascinating seeing the wealth of info on these Choice Based Lettings websites. A few months ago Norwich City Council pretty much decided to release a lot of HA new build flats in the space of 2 or 3 weeks, resulting in myself having a choice of c.30 properties to bid on. This week I have only 12 one and two bedroom homes to bid on, whereas last week I had 16. I think that the Council could have spread that out a bit more. It is interesting to see where new build Housing Association flats and houses are being built where I live. I think: "Hooray, another property on the supply side to counter against high private rents and high house prices!" But then I forget to factor in immigration. I just wish Grant Shapps would focus more on building these than the Shared ownersh*t schemes he keeps waxing lyrical about. As well as City Council, I can bid on properties in Broadland District Council (North and East of Norwich). The new cycle of properties to bid on commenced yesterday morning and already one of the 2 bedroomed flats in the Broadland District Council area (Norwich suburb) has attracted 95 bids. I expect this to go to over 200 come Wednesday night. Depressing. i was on the list for a garage near me.it took 7 years for them to realise that 6 out of the 10 garages were empty/not used and offered one to me. i accpeted 1 month later the council sent a letter round saying they was knocking them down as they are under utilised and the space could be better used for flats. i asked if i would get a falt there as compensation for loosing my garage/lockup - i had no reply Back in 2001/2 I got a council garage pretty much straight away. Mind, when I picked up the keys to it I went to check it out only to find a stolen Ford Fiesta left there by the previous tenant! The police were contacted and the rogue car was eventually towed away. Norwich City Council, despite their faults, were very good to me in this respect. They let me have a week's rent free as a way of apology and they let me have a neighbouring garage that was also empty. A year later they also let me move to a garage right behind my parents house once that one became empty. Have heard stories about how bad some councils are in allocating garages to non-council tenants who were willing to pay the going rate. FFS, you would think that councils would welcome the extra revenue stream. Indeed, my council, obviously hunting to fill in some financial gaps, are now advertising empty garages throughout the city to pretty much anyone, so long as they are used to keep a car in. As for knocking down garages to build new housing, it is happening around here, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downside Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 It is quite fascinating seeing the wealth of info on these Choice Based Lettings websites. A few months ago Norwich City Council pretty much decided to release a lot of HA new build flats in the space of 2 or 3 weeks, resulting in myself having a choice of c.30 properties to bid on. This week I have only 12 one and two bedroom homes to bid on, whereas last week I had 16. I think that the Council could have spread that out a bit more. It is interesting to see where new build Housing Association flats and houses are being built where I live. I think: "Hooray, another property on the supply side to counter against high private rents and high house prices!" But then I forget to factor in immigration. I just wish Grant Shapps would focus more on building these than the Shared ownersh*t schemes he keeps waxing lyrical about. As well as City Council, I can bid on properties in Broadland District Council (North and East of Norwich). The new cycle of properties to bid on commenced yesterday morning and already one of the 2 bedroomed flats in the Broadland District Council area (Norwich suburb) has attracted 95 bids. I expect this to go to over 200 come Wednesday night. Depressing. Back in 2001/2 I got a council garage pretty much straight away. Mind, when I picked up the keys to it I went to check it out only to find a stolen Ford Fiesta left there by the previous tenant! The police were contacted and the rogue car was eventually towed away. Norwich City Council, despite their faults, were very good to me in this respect. They let me have a week's rent free as a way of apology and they let me have a neighbouring garage that was also empty. A year later they also let me move to a garage right behind my parents house once that one became empty. Have heard stories about how bad some councils are in allocating garages to non-council tenants who were willing to pay the going rate. FFS, you would think that councils would welcome the extra revenue stream. Indeed, my council, obviously hunting to fill in some financial gaps, are now advertising empty garages throughout the city to pretty much anyone, so long as they are used to keep a car in. As for knocking down garages to build new housing, it is happening around here, too. I registered for a garage near where I live and also got pretty much straight away although they put up the price 2 or 3 times in 1 year so handed the keys back as it wasn't worth the price. As for registering on a HA list, can you only do this for the area your currently live or can you register for places you want to live? As I would very much like to move away from the dump of town I currently live in. Also applying for a HA seems very confusing as each time I check the websites they are laid out so poorly and the is no easy 'Register here' button just loads of crap about what they do and how they aim to help people, I dont care just give me somewhere to live for reasonable price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 As for registering on a HA list, can you only do this for the area your currently live or can you register for places you want to live? As I would very much like to move away from the dump of town I currently live in. Also applying for a HA seems very confusing as each time I check the websites they are laid out so poorly and the is no easy 'Register here' button just loads of crap about what they do and how they aim to help people, I dont care just give me somewhere to live for reasonable price! I think that most Local Authorities will only entertain housing applications for the area in which you currently live, or have employment and/or family connections with. However, it is best to check with the Local Authority on that first - they all have varying criteria. Don't bother too much with the individual HA websites (agree about the poor layout of these sites, btw). They will direct you to the Local Authority's system of applying for housing, such as Choice Based Lettings. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeymadman Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 This week I have only 12 one and two bedroom homes to bid on, whereas last week I had 16. I think that the Council could have spread that out a bit more. Lucky you! Only two properties I could bid on this week, and one is already over 300 bids... Not that it makes much difference; we're both as bad as people that think they're going to win the lottery if we hope to get anything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Not that it makes much difference; we're both as bad as people that think they're going to win the lottery if we hope to get anything... That sounds about right! Joining the housing register could be seen as a private protest against the high cost of housing in the UK by the more analytical politicians. Just wish Grant Schapps & co take a look at the waiting lists and help to provide more rental homes at a reasonable rents in the areas that deserve them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Bah! This week I have a selection of just six flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milton Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Ive been on a number of Housing Association register's since about 2002/3............. When schemes like FTBI were first introduced under Labour, I looked into these housing initiatives every year. Put my name on the list. [shared Equity has been around for decades, but I had not heard of it before.] I talked to the housing associations, estate agents, housebuilders, Joseph Rowntree trust, other trusts, and Homebuy agents for all the government schemes. They were all completely useless. The only government funded shared equity schemes, within 25 miles of me, fell into a number of different county councils territories. And according to all the local County Councils, who i contacted, time and time again, I had to have family, work, or some other form of ties to the area, to move there or live there! Even if I had wanted to jump on the wagon back then, [2003/4 ish] I could not have done so. And now I am glad I did not do. They had a couple of blocks of newly built 'luxury' egg box high rise flats in Leeds City Centre. Even back then all the locals had nicknamed them, 'the slums of the future'. The flats that were never designed to be lived in, only to be built and sold for a quick profit, in a rising crooked market. They are still unsold. I was emailing my local Labour MP for years. But never received one response. It became obvious why I did not receive a response, when she appeared on the front page of the Daily Telegraph, for flipping houses, making over £200k in personal profits then retiring the following year......... Shapp's whilst in opposition, stated that not one person had taken up Labour's shared equity scheme. Of Course the first thing he did, was to introduce a shared equity scheme....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Put myself on about 3 to 4 months in my local area (Kirklees). Bid on loads of properties for which I was eligible (aka one bedroomed flats). Got asked to a public viewing on one which I was narrowly tipped to (I was only one down from the top). Then another match came up, which I accepted and moved in last week. The rent with the social registered landlord (KNH) is about half what I was paying privately. Because its got a better central heating system I should save on bills. I even got an energy report with my tenancy pack! After one year, my tenancy becomes secure provided I pay the rent and am not antisocial. I'm white, single, no sprogs, but over 45 which may of helped (many properties are for older people). My advise is apply as a matter of course. Then bid, bid, bid and see what happens. I've only intended one public viewing as I say, none of the other potential tenants were foreign or immigrants, many did seem to be extremely picky however. It became apparent at the viewing that only me and another guy were serious about the property, and that chap was successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I'm white, single, no sprogs, but over 45 which may of helped (many properties are for older people). My advise is apply as a matter of course. Then bid, bid, bid and see what happens. Surprised to hear over 45 helped. I was only a little under when I put myself on the register, and that's more than six years ago now. If you'd said over 65 I wouldn't've batted as many eyelids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 Thanks for the post, John Steed. The age thing is interesting. Last week I was 50th in the queue twice for two 1 bedroomed flats in an average area. Currently bidded on 4 (2 each in the 2 council of Norwich City and Broadland District where I qualify). So far I am 56th, 71st (City) 116th and 129th (District) in the queue so far. I won't hold my breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I put myself on it in Feb.2005, when I got the boot from my previous place (landlady was selling up). No expectation of anything happening of course (I'm male, white, able-bodied, no sprogs ... all the wrong boxes to tick), just contributing to their statistics. I don't know if I'm still on the register. I haven't taken myself off, but it's not as if I ever hear from them. In Cornwall it went to Choice Based Lettings last year and everybody had to re-apply or it was presumed they didn't need it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Update: Still bidding for properties. Since Spring I can now only bid for properties in the Norwich City local authority area - maximum of 2 bids per cycle (per week). Also, it now appears that the landlord Norwich City Council are now preventing me from bidding on upper floor 2 bedroomed flats (barred from bidding on ground floor 2 bedroomed flats which is fair enough). Might see tower blocks full of children in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Update: Still bidding for properties. Since Spring I can now only bid for properties in the Norwich City local authority area - maximum of 2 bids per cycle (per week). Also, it now appears that the landlord Norwich City Council are now preventing me from bidding on upper floor 2 bedroomed flats (barred from bidding on ground floor 2 bedroomed flats which is fair enough). Might see tower blocks full of children in the near future. Are you a couple. or a couple with kids? I guess even as a couple you will only qualify for one bed flats Its weird though. I got a straight offer on a one bed ground floor. I'm pretty sure I never bid on it though. I tended to avoid bidding on ground floor premises as anyone with access issues, usually has priority. I now feel guilty as I'm full able bodied and on the ground floor and there are people on upper floors with walking frames! Weird how it works, some of it is just pot luck IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Are you a couple. or a couple with kids? I guess even as a couple you will only qualify for one bed flats Its weird though. I got a straight offer on a one bed ground floor. I'm pretty sure I never bid on it though. I tended to avoid bidding on ground floor premises as anyone with access issues, usually has priority. I now feel guilty as I'm full able bodied and on the ground floor and there are people on upper floors with walking frames! Weird how it works, some of it is just pot luck IMHO. Single male, no dependants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Its weird though. I got a straight offer on a one bed ground floor. I'm pretty sure I never bid on it though. I tended to avoid bidding on ground floor premises as anyone with access issues, usually has priority. I now feel guilty as I'm full able bodied and on the ground floor and there are people on upper floors with walking frames! Have you asked any of them if they'd like to swap with you? If you and AN Other reached agreement you could presumably then put a proposal to your landlord? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Have you asked any of them if they'd like to swap with you? If you and AN Other reached agreement you could presumably then put a proposal to your landlord? Seems like a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattW Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 Oh brother. This week I get the choice of bidding on two flats. A bit of a come down from the 12 or so places I could have bid on last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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