Council housing help please.

Barri_221

Hi there,

I applied to my local council to join their housing waiting list over two years ago. I need to move on medical grounds due to me finding using my stairs and shower impossible. After applying, it took them 6 months to inform me that I needed a housing needs assessment from social services and a letter from my GP. I got this done and it them took them a further 17 months to get round to banding me. So from the time of applying to finally being banded due to my medical needs it has been over 2 years. I am now obviously at the bottom of my list for my band as I've only just been put in the band even though I've been on the waiting list for much longer. I feel like banding should be backdated to the time they received the medical evidence but they refused to do that.

I've looked on surrounding councils websites to see that their timescale from time of receiving medical evidence to banding is roughly 2 months. Is there any kind of law to regulate this? I have asked my council multiple times for their timescale which they say they do not have one. 

I am in such a desperate position. Is their any advice that you could give me with this please? 

Cher_Alumni

Hi @Barri_221 and a warm welcome to our community.  How are you doing today?

I've just responded to a similar query about expediting house transfers on this thread that you might find useful to read.  Have you spoken with Shelter about the situation at all?  If not, I highly recommend getting their insight around relevant legislation and your rights. 

Also, have you found your Local Authority's Housing Allocations Policy on the internet?  If not, take a look as this will detail the procedures followed.

Just to let you know, I've deleted a duplicate thread so we can keep all replies to you in this one space.  I have my fingers firmly crossed for you receiving an update soon.  Please keep us posted with how you get on.

Barri_221

Thank you. I tried to delete it myself when realising that I'd posted in the wrong place but couldn't figure out how.

I did read that thread, However, I have had a social services / OT housing needs report, This was done in February last year. They have had my medical evidence for over a year but have only just banded me and this was because i made a complaint that they hadn't done it yet or i think that i would still be waiting. 

Is there any law or guidelines on how long they can keep someone like myself waiting to be assessed? 

woodbine

As I see it there are two problems, the first is the obvious one..covid and nothing being done as it perhaps should be, the other is the chronic shortage of social housing I have read of people waiting over 7 years to be housed.
I can't find any reference to a law on this issue, but I might not be looking in the right place.