From 24 September 2013, Barnet Council changed the way that it allocates housing.
The main change is the introduction of a ‘one offer’ rule.
The ‘one offer’ rule means that all housing applicants will receive only one offer of suitable accommodation from Barnet Homes. If an applicant refuses this offer they will be removed from the Housing Allocations Scheme for one year. Applicants will have the right to appeal.
Other changes have been made, including those that affect:
- how we treat housing applicants with rent arrears or other tenancy breaches
- how we award community contributions
- the size of rooms provided to single adults and adult sharers
- the rules about who goes into Band 1
- how we assess applicants who require adaptations
- how we allocate ground floor accommodation and houses
- the housing options we provide to young people
- how we deal with applicants who withhold information, provide false statements or fail to inform us of relevant change of circumstances.
These changes were made because of to the limited supply of housing available to meet the needs of our customers. They will be applied to all customers who have already been assessed by the Housing Allocations Scheme, those waiting to be assessed and all new customers.
Introduction of a Placements Policy
Barnet Homes has also introduced a Placements Policy. Through this policy greater emphasis will be placed on providing accommodation that is both affordable and suitable for housing applicants. This means some households might be offered accommodation outside ofLondon.
By adopting this Policy Barnet Homes can end any homeless duty it has to accommodate a household with an offer of a private sector tenancy. This rule applies to customers who made a housing application on or after 9 November 2012.
The full Housing Allocations Scheme and Placements Policy are available here
To request hard copies, contact us on 0208 359 4797 or talktous@barnethomes.org