Choice Based Lettings and Housing Options Robin Newby

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 http: //www. communities. gov. uk/documents/corpo 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

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Transparency • 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

Whathave we we learned? What learned? • 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 * Monitoring the Longer Term Impact of Choice-based Lettings, Heriott Watt and British Market Research Bureau for CLG, Oct 2006 http: //www. communities. gov. uk/publications/housing/monitoringlonger

What Challenges have weremain learned? • 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

Challenges Housing options 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

Ways forward • • 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

What. Ways it might forward look like Housing Options Hub LA 1 LA 2 LA LA 3 4 RSL 1 2 Home Buy Agent Private LLs Mutual Exchanges Ownership and other options

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