Or is this a fair way to let homes?

[bridge83]

Me my dh and our two children are currently in a three bed private rented house that is really expensive ie rent, council tax, utilities etc. We've had our name down on the council list for six years but as there are only two areas that we would consider living and these are very popular areas we haven't had any luck.

So a few months ago I got a letter though from the council telling us that they now have additional service and another way of getting homes. Usually you bid for any properties you like on a weekly basis but now they've introduced a section of their website were there are homes available now as in you can have one straight away. The only catch is that it's a first come first served basis. I know this probably does sound very fair but as there is no telling when these properties come up you have to check their website every day or more like multiple times a day.

So I've expressed my interest on a few properties in our area recently that would have been perfect but obviously we weren't the first to register our interest as we would have heard something by now. Today for instance there are three properties that have come up close to were we live and I've registered for them all. I checked their web page this morning and there were no properties listed. I took my dd to school and checked again when I got back and there were properties that had just been put up. I know I haven't won any of them as the council email you straight away if you're the first bidder. But how the heck can I secure a property if they are put on so randomly throughout the week. Aibu to think that this is an odd way of allocating properties? Unless I check their site every five bloody minutes I don't have a chance do I?

This is not a fair way to let homes indeed.
OP you sound very entitled.
We're in the refuge AND my child has disability. It's been 2 years of waiting so far

In our area they do this with very hard to let properties. Ones that either nobody bids on or ones where everybody who does when they go to do the paperwork turns it down.

They won't do it with adapted properties or ones within a certain distance of a school amd e main location for the ones that do show up on there are usually right by a very noisy (24h active) essential service type place.

Often the ones near the probation office come up as well because there are a huge amount of the people in our area who are homeless and for reasons of safety cannot be housed right near the establishment that holds all the offender programs

Coming from both working in housing and having been on the housing register a number of years myself, I think this sounds like a great scheme, albeit understandably very frustrating. The borough I live/work in wouldn't even accept you on the list for housing now as you are as they would say, adequately housed and their housing is not so much aimed at cost of living but whether you are over crowded and/or safe and therefore in NEED rather than want, of a new home. I think you have a great opportunity with that scheme and as they say, someone has to be first in line, there will be a time when it will be you.

What the actual fuck? How on earth is that system fair, and therefore an appropriate use of public resources?

I absolutely despair.

Can you give us a hint where you are OP? It's interesting that an LA are able to do this. Presumably they are aiming for mixed neighbourhoods?

Don't know where the OP is, but we do it in the 2 areas I boarder - can't link on here with my phone but look up www.acisgroup.co.uk or the kwick key let's on Ongo Housing (North Lincs Homes)

I found my flat on Home Hunt, if anybody's wanting to look at how the various schemes work.

I don't think it's fair, no.

In our area to get on of the fast track places you still need to be on the list and have been accepted as being in priority need, randomers couldmt just get one

Sock - my needs were assessed after I bid. I was the only bidder (first-floor flat in sheltered housing) and they told me they do take younger & fitter tenants if they're in urgent need of housing.

I'm not entirely sure why they built so many upstairs flats in a development of this kind; it's easy to see why mine was hard to let. Bizarrely, it's got high-level power points and low-level light switches but is up a narrow staircase, with no space for a wheelchair or scooter