Changes in respect of social housing property offers from 25 January 2016

22 January 2016.

Changes in respect of social housing property offers from 25 January 2016

A key aim of the Government’s Social Housing Reform Programme is to build a flexible social housing system that responds to the immediate need of the most vulnerable clients and their families.

To ensure people with the greatest housing need are accessing social housing for the duration of their need the matching and placement process is changing.

On 25 January 2016 a number of changes come into effect for people on the social housing register. These include:

  • Clients on the social housing register will only be able to decline a suitable property with a good and sufficient reason. If they decline a suitable social housing property without a good and sufficient reason they may be removed from the social housing register.
  • If a client is removed from the register and they reapply for social housing within the next 13 weeks, the decline may affect their eligibility for social housing. Any changes in their situation will be considered if they reapply within that time.
  • There will be no consequences for clients who have a good reason for turning down social housing.
  • Where it’s geographically possible, a person must select at least three letting areas they want to live when applying for social housing.
  • To help improve the matching process for clients, MSD can include a nearby letting area that someone may not have selected to live. This potentially opens clients up to a greater number of suitable properties that meets their needs.
  • If a client declines a property in an area nominated by the Ministry without good reason, they may be removed from the social housing register.

Most people who decline a property have a good reason for doing so. Factors like keeping children in the same school and ensuring people with health conditions can access the support they need, will still be taken into account when looking at areas and reasons for declining properties.

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