Little Hallam Lane, Ilkeston

Local Lettings Policy

Futures Housing Group and Erewash Borough Council
May 2020

The site

Little Hallam Lane, Ilkeston

The Little Hallam Lane development is next to 177 Little Hallam Lane, on the corner of Birdcroft Lane (the new road to be named Cotton Lace Close) in Ilkeston.

The 16 affordable homes on this development consist of:

  • Eight homes for Affordable Rent:
  • Five 2 bedroomed 4 person houses
  • One 4 bedroomed 5 person house
  • Two 2 bedroomed 4 person bungalows for people with disabilities
  • Six 2 bedroomed 4 person houses for Shared Ownership
  • Two 2 bedroomed 4 person houses for Rent to Buy

These are anticipated to be completed Summer/Autumn 2020

The location of the site can  be found here: Link to Google Streetmap of the Little Hallam Lane site.

Reason for the Local Lettings Policy and Background

Erewash Borough Council, through its strategic housing role, 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 PROCEDURE APPLIES TO BUNGALOWS FOR AFFORDABLE RENT, which means:
two 2 bedroomed 4 person bungalows for people with disabilities/mobility issues, which include the following features: -

  • Open plan kitchen/living/dining with turning space for wheelchairs
  • Level Access Shower
  • Level access to property and garden
  • Space to charge and store scooter/wheelchair
  • Adjacent parking

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

A) People currently registered on Home-Options who have demonstrated a need for this type of accommodation. This will include applicants awarded Band A – urgent medical priority

B) 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.

The criteria will be followed for initial lets and subsequent lets.

Whilst these are 2 bedroomed bungalows, they 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”)).

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 Little Hallam Lane, Ilkeston site in May 2020, following a public consultation via the Home-Options website.