How the council places tenants in its housing – a case study
Who was looking for a home?
A family which comprised a couple with three daughters.
Type of property
Three-bedroomed house purchased by the council in April 2024, for £345,000
How was this house paid for?
The Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) – a government fund that supports local authorities in England to obtain housing to use as good quality temporary accommodation for those owed a homelessness duty and to provide safe and suitable accommodation to support families on resettlement schemes.
How did this household meet the criteria and what happens if there is more than one household on a list that fits the criteria?
We offered the property on 23 January 2025 to a team at the Home Office which liaise with local authorities on migration issues. That team matches families with properties. This team operates a ‘one offer’ rule, so no households are competing for the same property at any given time. A match was made on 11 February 2025. We reviewed the family’s details, and the house was deemed suitable for them to move in.
What was the next step?
Our housing needs resettlement team worked with colleagues in the property team to set a start date for the tenancy: 4 March 2025. Then they worked with our legal team to create a licence agreement. Our housing and compliance team met the family on the start day, to sign the documentation to complete their move in.
What support did they get?
From the moment they moved in the family had help such as with filling in forms and finding community groups for the first six weeks from our community migration team. With follow-up support after the initial six weeks.
How long did they stay at the property? Where did they go next?
After nine months in the temporary accommodation the family moved on into social housing elsewhere in the district.
What happened to the property after that household left?
The property was then passed on to our Temporary Accommodation team to be used for any suitable households who were homeless.
