Choice Based Lettings and Housing Options Robin Newby Specialist Adviser Communities and Local Government

What is Choice Based Lettings? Choice Based Lettings (CBL) is a general approach based upon advertising and consumer choice, not a single system –Vacancies are openly advertised with relevant information –Homeseekers can browse properties available and ‘bid’ –Bids are ranked and offers made according to prioritisation policies –Results of bidding and demand feedback are published –Accessible information and support is available to customers Sub-Regional CBL (SRCBL) –CBL operated across a sub-region, usually supporting mobility across Local Authority (LA) boundaries

What CBL doesn’t do It doesn’t create any more homes, but it may –help make best use of the existing housing stock, –Utilise demand information from ‘bidding’ to inform housing strategies

Government target Published in Government’s 5 year housing plan - Homes for All – January 05 rate/pdf/homes-for-all –All local authorities to operate choice-based systems by 2010 and CLG will support them in achieving this aim –To make it as easy as possible for tenants to move between local authority, housing association, low cost homes, and privately owned accommodation, to increase choice and opportunity further

Progress An estimated 39% of LAs and 40% of RSLs currently operate CBL Nationally 5.4% (19) LAs have yet to develop plans for CBL The Regional Challenge Fund (RCF) is part-funding 26 schemes involving over 100 LAs The final round of RCF will part-fund at least another 12 schemes CBL is working in urban, rural, higher and lower demand settings CBL services are increasingly offering a wider range of housing options spanning tenure and administrative boundaries

Choice Based Lettings Choice Need Control Local lettings, sensitive lettings Advertising, bidding, feedback Bands/points/priority cards/time Choice in context

Fundamental to nurturing public understanding, trust and acceptance Key elements of transparency –Feedback – tabular lettings results, personalised, historic guides, live –Feedback on any properties let outside of CBL –Clear policies for eligibility, prioritisation and offers –Applying the rules fairly and consistently, no nasty surprises for homeseekers –Any restrictions are detailed in adverts not applied retrospectively –Communicate in simple plain language, video, spoken word Transparency

Most recent and most comprehensive study* identifies benefits –Potential to generate savings that outweigh extra costs –Encourages home-seekers to think more flexibly about solutions –Tends to reduce ethnic segregation –Helps with any hard-to-let properties and lowers refusal rates –Usually improves void times –Evidence of better tenancy sustainment –Better outcomes for homeless people What have we learned? * Monitoring the Longer Term Impact of Choice-based Lettings, Heriott Watt and British Market Research Bureau for CLG, Oct

The same research suggests that –Long-term unsuccessful bidders can grow frustrated –Some confusion about prioritisation policies –Schemes need to improve monitoring of engagement and outcomes What have we learned?Challenges remain

Linking housing options to CBL can offer homeseekers a broader menu of housing solutions Traditional Housing Options services Often derived from housing advice with focus on homelessness prevention Limited reach as often reactive and use traditional service channels –CBL services Proactive and interactive communicative electronic channels Designed for accessibility Generally have a high profile, well placed to market other housing options –A few examples follow Challenges remainHousing options

Sub-regional and regional scale Coherence – all housing options in one place Encourage links between CBL services More use of personalised information including feedback and prompts Clearer policies and better support to assist understanding Design services for accessibility: monitor, review, act Better understanding of relationship between service design, channel usage, performance and accessibility Ways forward

Housing Options Hub LA 1 Private LLs Home Buy Agent LA 2 LA 3 LA 4 RSL 1 RSL 2 Mutual Ex- changes Ownership and other options Ways forwardWhat it might look like

Your response Are you considering linking CBL to other housing options?