Cavendish Road, Ilkeston
Local Lettings Policy

Futures Housing Group and Erewash Borough Council

From the Local Lettings Policy adopted January 2017

The site

Cavendish Road, Ilkeston

The Cavendish Road development is on Cavendish Road, in Ilkeston. The affordable housing on this development consists of 36 homes for Affordable Rent, and 8 for shared ownership.

Link to Google Street Map of site on Cavendish Road, Ilkeston.

Reason for the Local Lettings Policy and Background

Erewash Borough Council, through its Housing Strategy has a responsibility to help Erewash residents have good quality homes and housing services which meet their needs, and help create sustainable, mixed and balanced communities. At the same time, we need to ensure that those in urgent housing need are housed as soon as possible.

The Home-Options Policy (which is agreed by the Home-Options partners, including Futures Housing Group and Erewash Borough Council) highlights that local lettings policies have an important role in widening housing choices for local people and helping to provide sustainable communities. The national and regional housing agendas encourage mixed tenures that cater for a range of households with varying needs and aspirations

We want to ensure that this development caters for a variety of residents as opposed to concentrations of households with particular support needs.

Legal Framework

This approach complies with the government’s guidance issued through the Allocation of accommodation: guidance for local housing authorities in England (DCLG, June 2012). This guidance allows councils and housing providers to use local lettings policies to achieve a wide range of policy objectives.

The Local Lettings Policy Criteria

The following criteria applies for the initial and subsequent lettings on properties suitable for disabled people, people with mobility problems, and people with degenerative conditions.

For the Affordable Rent Bungalow-style ground floor flats

3 x 1 bedroomed 2 person bungalow-style ground floor flats suitable for people with mobility problems. These include:

• Level access into the properties and into outside areas
• Own separate entrance doors 
• Wet room or walk-in shower
• Space to charge and store electric wheelchairs and scooters.
• Adjacent or nearby parking of disabled width
• Communal garden.

Under this Policy the following groups of applicants will be given additional preference through the Home-Options bidding process:- 

• People currently registered on Home-Options with a *physical disability or mobility problems who have demonstrated a need for this type of accommodation. This will include applicants awarded Band A – urgent medical priority
• Additional preference will be given to those households who can benefit substantially from the facilities which are available in these properties. This includes those whose current properties would require substantial funding to meet their needs (i.e. through an application for a Disabled Facilities Grant).

*People with physical disabilities can include people with degenerative conditions which are likely to result in the development or deterioration of physical disabilities within the next 2 to 3 years.

For the Affordable Rent 2 bedroomed 3 person bungalows

2 x 2 bedroomed 3 person bungalows suitable for people with disabilities who use their wheelchairs inside, as well as outside. 
These properties include: 

• Disabled width parking (one with car port)
• Covered ramped scooter storage and charging 
• Wheelchair store inside with charging point
• Wet room shower
• Strengthened joists for hoists to bathroom
• Level access into the property and into outside areas
• Own garden.

Under this Policy the following groups of applicants will be given additional preference through the Home-Options bidding process:- 

• People currently registered on Home-Options who need wheelchair standard accommodation and who use their wheelchairs inside as well as outside, who have demonstrated a need for this type of accommodation. This will include applicants awarded Band A – urgent medical priority. 
• Additional preference will be given to those households who can benefit substantially from the facilities which are available in these properties. This includes those whose current properties would require substantial funding to meet their needs (i.e. through an application for a Disabled Facilities Grant).

*People with physical disabilities can include people with degenerative conditions which are likely to result in the development or deterioration of physical disabilities within the next 2 years, likely to result in the need to use a wheelchair insider as well as outside.

These bungalows may be let to single people or childless couples if it is confirmed that full housing benefit can be paid, or there is other regular income to pay the full rent ( some single people or childless couples under retirement age may have housing benefit reductions under the social housing size criteria regulations (the “bedroom tax”)).

For the Affordable Rent 3 bedroomed houses which are easily adaptable for people with physical disabilities 

4 x 3 bedroomed houses to enhanced Lifetime Homes standards
These include:

• Disabled width car parking 
• Provision for through-floor lift
• Wet room or walk-in shower
• Strengthened joists for hoists to bathroom.

Under this Policy the following groups of applicants will be given additional preference through the Home-Options bidding process:- 

• People currently registered on Home-Options who have demonstrated a need for this type of accommodation which is easily adaptable to meet the needs of people with physical disabilities. This may include some wheelchair users. This will include applicants awarded Band A – urgent medical priority. 
• Additional preference will be given to those households who can benefit substantially from the facilities which are available in these properties. This includes those whose current properties would require substantial funding to meet their needs (i.e. through an application for a Disabled Facilities Grant).

*People with physical disabilities can include people with degenerative conditions which are likely to result in the development or deterioration of physical disabilities within the next 2 years.

These enhanced Lifetime Homes houses may be let to smaller households if it is confirmed that full housing benefit can be paid, or there is other regular income to pay the full rent (some households may have housing benefit reductions under the social housing size criteria regulations (the “bedroom tax”)). Smaller households will only be considered where larger households, achieving full occupancy, who can benefit substantially from the facilities which are available in these properties, are not available.

If we are unable to fully achieve lettings under the above criteria, based on the bids received, then lettings will be made under the normal allocations procedures under the Home-Options Policy but with preference being given to people with mobility problems or other people who are likely to benefit from the facilities which are available or can be easily provided in these properties.

Fair access to housing 

We wish to ensure the number of lettings to households from Black and Minority Ethnic Community on this development reflects the composition of the Ilkeston community (as indicated in census or other indicator of housing needs). If this is not reflected during the allocation process, then the housing association will work with the Council to determine reasons why and to consider slight changes in the marketing and lettings criteria to ensure this is reflected where possible in future.

Mutual Exchanges

Mutual exchanges will be allowed into and out of the development in accordance with Futures Housing Group and other landlords’ normal processes. Lettings through mutual exchanges may therefore be outside of this local lettings policy. For more details see the Mutual Exchange page on the Home-Options website.

Contact details

Any queries about this Local Lettings Policy can be made to Futures Housing Group.  

For up to date contact details, please see www.futureshg.co.uk.

The Original Local Lettings Policy

A Local Letting Policy was adopted for the Cavendish Road, Ilkeston site in January 2017, following a public consultation via the Home-Options website.

The policy also applied criteria to initial lettings for houses and some flats on this development. These were first let in 2017, since when normal allocations procedures under the Home-Options Policy applies. The original policy, which includes the reason for the local lettings policy, background and legal framework can be obtained from Futures Housing Group as above.