Council housing was initially introduced in order to create more affordable options to families who need an affordable home urgently. However in recent years it has become harder and harder for some families and individuals to get one.
Since the ‘Right to Buy’ rule was introduced, those living in council houses were given the right to buy the abodes at a discount rate. Seeing as those council houses were taken off the market, waiting lists for these properties have only grown longer, making it more difficult for people to get a council house.
In recent times factors including Brexit and the pandemic have seen the cost of living rise exponentially, and more and more people now face the daily struggle of putting a roof over their heads, and feeding their families. Here we take a look at the rules surrounding council houses and how to get one quicker.
Read more: Universal Credit: How much more you'll get and when the Easter payments are due
Who gets the priority council housing?
There are varying criteria you must meet in order to get a council house, however some are given to priority cases that meet specific conditions, if you meet these conditions you are seen as a more urgent case.
They are as follows:
Are homeless or are threatened with homelessness
Live in unsanitary or overcrowded housing
Need to move for medical or welfare reasons
Need to be near specialist medical or educational facilities
Fleeing violence
There are also some cases where you can be given extra priority, which will put you higher up on the waiting list. In order to be eligible to get extra priority, you will need to have served in the armed forces or have urgent housing needs.
The council has to give you extra priority if you’re homeless or have urgent housing needs and you:
Were in the regular armed forces
Are seriously injured, ill or disabled because of your service
Have to leave forces accommodation after the death in service of your spouse or civil partner
The council can give extra priority for people with urgent housing needs, for example:
A life-threatening illness or sudden disability
Overcrowding or disrepair which puts your health at serious risk
Violence or threats, including domestic abuse, witness intimidation or serious antisocial behaviour
How long will I have to wait for a council house?
When you get accepted for a council house, the time it takes to move you in depends on what band you fall under. The top band, band one, means you will likely be housed quicker than bands two or three, this is because the band caters for urgent cases more so than the other two.
The waiting times for all bands can be up to 70 months, depending on what type of accommodation you are seeking. A studio or a four bedroom house will obviously have drastically different waiting times.
Have you struggled to get a council house? Let us know in the comments
How do I get a council house quicker?
If you’ve been waiting for months, or perhaps even years, then you will have likely started to grow frustrated at the lack of action, and have started asking questions about how to get one quicker. There is no magic trick to do so, however, there are a number of tricks that you can use in order to land a house quicker.
PropertyPress have put together a number of time saving suggestions that could lead you to getting a council house quicker.
Be as open and flexible as you can. If you’re wanting a 3-bedroom property, but have been offered a 2-bedroom property, as you have children who can share a room, be open to accepting this. Otherwise you could be left on the waiting list with no 3-bedroom properties available, leaving you waiting years to get a council house
Update the council of changes to circ*mstances. This could be anything from a job change, a change to the number of people needing the house (particularly children) or a change to medical needs. All these factors will have a bearing on your place on the waiting list
Ensure you’re in the right band. This should be done automatically by the council when applying but making sure you’re in the band which suits your urgency is essential. Higher band = higher priority = less waiting time
Use all your bids. Once your application is accepted, you’re able to bid on the available council houses for a chance to live in the property. You get to submit 3 bids per advertising cycle, so make sure you know when the advertising cycles are and that you submit all your bids. The more bids = the more properties you have a chance at = the faster it should be until you get a council house
Ensure you’re bidding for the correct type of property – by this we mean bidding for the type of property you will be given priority for. Bedroom entitlement is based on number of people and age and gender of the children, and you will only be offered a property if it meets the household’s needs. In other words, you won’t be offered a property which is too big or too small
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
