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Choice-based lettings
Choice-based lettings fill the empties
Homelink: helping to fill homes quickly
Back in 2002 NCHA was the first housing association in England to pioneer its own choice-based lettings scheme, LETS. Now NCHA has become the first RSL to join Homelink. This is a one-stop scheme that covers all the social housing vacancies in greater Nottingham.
Properties are advertised on the Homelink website and in the Nottingham Evening Post weekly rented property guide. NCHA also uses the scheme to advertise homes in the neighbouring boroughs of Broxtowe, Erewash, Gedling and Rushcliffe.
"In our experience, choice based lettings schemes help us fill empty homes more swiftly," says Mike Andrews, NCHA’s Chief Executive. "It also makes our homes available to people who would never have qualified under the old lettings system, particularly young single people."
Residents at Ventura Drive, Bulwell, Nottingham
"The scheme also makes life easier for people looking for somewhere to live. Filling in one form gives them access to all the available social housing in the Nottingham area. It’s not so very long ago that they had to trudge from office to office or spend hours on the phone registering with each of more than 20 social housing organisations working in the city."
Elsewhere in Nottinghamshire, LETS continues to offer the best choice currently available to tenants in Bassetlaw, Mansfield, and Newark & Sherwood.
Elsewhere in Nottinghamshire, LETS continues to offer the best choice currently available to tenants in Bassetlaw, Mansfield, and Newark & Sherwood.
Rent arrears continue to fall
For the tenth year running our rent arrears fell. At the end of 2006/07 they stood 7.1 per cent, which is still too high. One of our key targets for the coming year is a further reduction in this figure. We work one to one with tenants who have difficulty paying their rent, making sure they are claiming all the benefits to which they are entitled.
We phase arrears payments over realistic timescales to help people in genuine difficulty who often have a portfolio of debts. However, we take tough action with those who won’t pay and freeload off their neighbours.
For the tenth year running our rent arrears fell. At the end of 2006/07 they stood 7.1 per cent, which is still too high. One of our key targets for the coming year is a further reduction in this figure. We work one to one with tenants who have difficulty paying their rent, making sure they are claiming all the benefits to which they are entitled.
We phase arrears payments over realistic timescales to help people in genuine difficulty who often have a portfolio of debts. However, we take tough action with those who won’t pay and freeload off their neighbours.
Click here to return to the Annual Report 2007.
