Social Housing in Breckland
The Council does not own any ‘council housing’ in Breckland. All the social housing in the district is managed by housing associations and specialist housing providers. There are currently 14 housing associations and trusts operating in the district, managing approximately 7500 properties between them.
Click on the links below for further information:
Peddars Way Housing Association
The main social housing landlord in Breckland is Peddars Way Housing Association (www.flagship-housing.co.uk). Breckland Council transferred all its housing stock to the association in 1993, following a vote by council tenants.
Peddars Way HA currently own and manage the majority of the social housing stock in the district. Their activities include:
- communal facilities
- estates parking
- home exchange
- tenancy management including evictions
- garages (PWHA)
- housing allocations
- property improvement and alterations (PWHA)
- ‘Right to Buy’ & ‘Right to Acquire’
- rents & rent arrears
- repairs to PWHA housing
- garden maintenance
- new housing developments
- hard to let & easy to access properties (there are very few in Breckland due to high demand)
- unauthorised occupation of PWHA properties
For further information on the above and other services offered by the association, go to their website (www.flagship-housing.co.uk) or call on 0845 6013390.
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The Social Housing Register
The Social Housing Register is the equivalent to what most people would call the ‘council housing waiting list’. Since 2 July 2007 it is managed by ARP Trading Ltd on behalf of the Council.
The Register is used to allocate properties in the Breckland area managed by all the major housing associations, so there is no need to apply separately to other associations such as Broadland or Cotman; you will automatically be considered for their properties.
You will need to complete the form fully, as you may not receive the priority your housing circumstances deserve if ARP Trading is not fully aware of your situation. If you do not complete all the relevant sections the form may be returned to you, which will delay your assessment.
Forms are available by contacting ARP Trading Ltd.
What priority will I get?
Your application will be assessed using a points system which reflects your housing circumstances, for example someone staying on a friend’s sofa would get higher priority than someone who has a property, but wishes to move to a larger one, and broadly speaking, the applicant with the most points for a certain type of property in a specific area will be offered the next suitable vacancy.
It is very difficult for ARP Trading to tell you when you will be offered a property, as this depends on many things, such as other people joining the Register and, of course, properties becoming available. There is far more demand for housing than there are available properties, and you may have a long wait before you receive an offer.
You may see empty housing association properties and wonder why no-one is living there. This is often because works are being carried out to the property, or people have moved out but their tenancy has not yet ended. It may also be because people have just left without telling the association, so it is always worth letting them know if you see one of their properties empty – there is always someone who needs it.
There are some circumstances under which your application may not be accepted or may be suspended from consideration for a property. For full details of the terms and conditions contact ARP Trading.
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Other housing associations & specialist housing providers
There are several other housing associations and trusts operating in the Breckland district, some offering specialist housing for older or young people, people with physical and mental health problems, and single people. You can apply to most of these associations direct, or through a professional such as a Housing Advisery Officer, Social Worker or Support Worker.
Details of all the associations operating in the district, and a brief summary of their client groups and how to apply are in our. Housing Associations and ‘Supported & sheltered housing’ sections.
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Other local authorities
Most Councils either manage a housing waiting list or register, or have one managed for them.
You can apply to any local authority in whose area you wish to be housed. Some authorities have greater demand on their housing stock than others, and some with high demand will give preference to people with a local connection to the area. Authorities with a lower demand for their housing (mostly in the North of England) can be more flexible with their allocations.
To find out more contact the local authority in whose area you would like to be housed.
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