St Leger Homes to review types of properties it needs due to ‘significant change to demand’ in Doncaster

Bosses have launched a 10-week public consultation asking residents to give them their views on updating Doncaster Council’s Housing Allocations Policy.

For the past 15 years, St Leger Homes has let properties through Doncaster HomeChoice and manages around 20,000 properties on behalf of Doncaster Council.

Bosses said since the Housing Allocations Policy was last reviewed in 2018, there have been significant changes to the demands on Doncaster Council’s housing stock, including an increased need for family homes.

It is hoped the proposals will ensure homes are prioritised to those in most need, making better use of housing across Doncaster.

The public consultation, which runs until the end of August, includes:

Introducing methods to free up more family houses for re let Giving priority to larger families for 4+ bedroom properties Strengthening of our ‘tenancy ready’ process by collecting more information at application stage Ensuring that support provided to victims of domestic abuse reflects the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Including the separated/divorced partners of armed forces personal in the Platinum priority band, as per national recommendations Reviewing the number of offers applicants get before loss of priority or suspension from the housing register Introducing the right for Doncaster Council to suspend the housing register and allocations process in response to emergency situations

Dave Richmond, Chief Executive of St Leger Homes, said: “As a social housing provider, it is important that we reflect the changing needs of the individuals and communities we serve across Doncaster.

“There have been significant changes in supply and demand since we last reviewed our Housing Allocations Policy four years ago.

“We need to ensure that we make best use of the properties we have, to ensure housing is prioritised to those in most need and that customers are supported so they can sustain their tenancies in the longer term.

“We want as many residents as possible to take part in this consultation, so we can listen to their views on the detailed changes being proposed.

We’d urge everyone to visit www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/AllocationConsul2022 and complete the online survey before the end of August.”