Council house tenants in part of Nottinghamshire are set to be offered grants of up to £2,500 if they downsize amid a demand for larger properties. Broxtowe Borough Council is proposing a series of updates to its housing policies, including changes to how people are prioritised on the council house register.
One of the major updates being planned is a 'Home Release Scheme' to try and free up bigger council houses for larger families. The measure is due to be discussed at a meeting of the council's cabinet on Tuesday (November 1).
In a report to be presented before councillors at that meeting, the portfolio holder for housing at the council says: "The council offers secure "lifetime" tenancies to its tenants. During the course of any tenancy, circumstances can change that can affect living in the accommodation and its size.
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"A common eventuality is that a family home allocated becomes under occupied as children move on with their lives away from the family home. This under occupancy can lead to financial hardship.
"Moving home to a smaller council property can be a daunting prospect for tenants who may have lived in their property for a number of years and may not feel they can do so without support. The Home Release Scheme puts into place financial support as well as the support of officers to assist with some of the practical arrangements."
Figures from Broxtowe Borough Council show that there were are 346 applicants at of the end of September requiring a property with three or four bedrooms. But the council's housing management system also shows that there are 90 households that are currently under occupied.
The 'Home Release Scheme' would therefore give grants of an initial £1,000 to eligible tenants, with several bonuses potentially being paid on top of that, such as a £500 top-up for every room under utilised in the property. Total payments will be capped at £2,500, with those eligible including any secure council tenant in a two-bedroom home or larger wanting to downsize to a one-bedroom house.
It comes as Broxtowe Borough Council is also proposing updates to its allocations policy, which covers those eligible to join its social housing register and how those people are prioritised. The changes cover groups including people discharged from hospital who can not return to their current accommodation because it is no longer suitable.
Such cases would be treated as the highest priority, with the council saying that this would "allow for more planned pathway and process rather than making homelessness applications." Another change to the allocations policy includes clarification that for those fleeing harassment, violence, threats of violence or domestic abuse, the council will usually consider being re-housed to an area more than 5 miles away or containing few if any links to the previous address to be most suitable.
All the changes, including the proposed Home Release Scheme, will be discussed by councillors at Tuesday's meeting. Schemes offering financial rewards to tenants who downsize are already operating in several areas across the country and Broxtowe is proposing a budget of £20,000 next year for its scheme.
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