Council Housing Demand by Bedroom Type

RFI-2024-1297
Monday, 4 November 2024

Request

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting the following information regarding housing demand on your council waiting list as of 1st November 2024:

1. The number of applicants on your council housing waiting list by property type:
- Accessible property
- 1-bed property
- 2-bed property
- 3-bed property
- 4-bed property
- 5+ bed property

2. The average waiting time for each property type listed below:
- Accessible property
- 1-bed property
- 2-bed property
- 3-bed property
- 4-bed property
- 5+ bed property

If possible, please provide additional insights or typical ranges for waiting times based on priority needs or location preferences.

If this information is unavailable in full, kindly provide partial or approximate data along with any relevant explanations for the limitations.

Response

1.
- Accessible property – data is not held in this format
- 1-bed property – 948 applicants waiting for 1 bedroom general needs housing
- 2-bed property – 641 applicants waiting for 2 bedroom general needs housing
- 3-bed property – 364 applicants waiting for 3 bedroom general needs housing
- 4-bed property – 73 applicants waiting for 4 bedroom general needs housing
- 5+ bed property – 11 applicants waiting for 5+ bedroom general needs housing
We also have 1008 applicants waiting for supported housing (defined as housing for people over 60 yrs and/or younger applicants with medical needs), this refers to 1 or 2 bedroom properties.
Please note that there will be some double counting as some applicants may be eligible for more than one bedroom eligibility based on their housing needs.
2.
- Accessible property – date is not held in this format
- 1-bed property – 15 general needs properties let, average waiting time is 311 days
- 2-bed property – 27 general needs properties let, average waiting time is 431 days
- 3-bed property – 18 general needs properties let, average waiting time is 472 days
- 4-bed property – 3 general needs properties let, average waiting time is 115 days
- 5+ bed property – no data as no vacant properties within time period
We have let 90 supported housing properties, referred to in the data above, with an average waiting time 525 days
Please note waiting time data relates to properties let since April 2024 and the waiting time refers to the waiting time from when the date the band priority was awarded and the tenancy start date as this is the data we capture. It is not time on the housing register.