Social housing rules are failing people in greatest need

Research by the Chartered Institute of Housing has revealed that homeless people are being denied access to affordable housing as they are deemed too poor or vulnerable to pay the rent.

A new report by the organisation, Rethinking allocations, finds that, faced with a lack of genuinely affordable homes, councils and housing associations are forced to ration the housing they have – and that the way they allocate these homes can exclude some very vulnerable people.

There are at least four million households in England waiting for social housing, and this number is growing all the time.

The report recommends that local authorities should ensure applicants’ unique circumstances and housing histories are considered when making decisions about whether someone can access a list and what priority they are given. This recommendation is alongside ambitions for housing providers to consider making a proportion of their properties part- or fully-furnished, providers reviewing their lettable standard to explore ways to improve the marketing of properties, particularly in areas of low demand, and local authorities working in partnership with housing associations to strengthen the role of nominations agreements in how they balance competing objectives.

Faye Greaves, CIH policy and practice officer, said: “For decades, we have failed to build enough homes, and our welfare safety net is no longer fit for purpose. More and more people are turning to local authorities and housing associations for help to access social housing. But that leaves housing providers having to find a balance between people in acute need, local priorities and their need to develop sustainable tenancies. What we found is that relying solely on processes can end up having the opposite effect to that intended.”

Terrie Alafat, CIH chief executive, said: “This is an important and timely piece of work. It may seem obvious to put people at the heart of deciding about something so essential as their home, but as we’ve found, the pressures that housing providers face can lead to them relying on processes alone. Faye’s report is a reminder of the risks of that and gives good examples of how to avoid them.”