Hundreds of hours wasted spent offering unsuitable housing to potential Aberdeen council tenants could be saved under new rules.
City officials made more than 3,000 offers to would-be residents last year – and more than 1,800 were refused.
Councillors on Tuesday approved a new housing allocations policy, introducing long-awaited “choice-based letting” to the Granite City.
The system, already used in neighbouring Aberdeenshire, will allow applicants to choose what type of property – and where – they want to be considered for.
Thousands say no to offer of Aberdeen City Council home
It is hoped to “significantly reduce” the thousands of noes the council is met with every year.
Housing convener Miranda Radley said: “This new approach is a fantastic way to engage with our tenants and enable them to have a greater choice.”
Previously, housing applications have been graded on a points-based, prioritised, waiting list.
Those who refused an offer faced a 12-month wait to be offered another place.
Under this system, nearly 12,000 offers of a council property in Aberdeen have been refused since April 2018.
And every year, that’s a problem thought to cost the local authority £60,000 – nearly enough to pay the salaries of two housing officers.
Citizens say no to council homes despite risk of another 12-month wait
The main reasons for housing being turned down include changes in personal circumstances on the application, individual aspects of the offered property, or people not wishing to be considered for a particular street or housing development.
Out-of-date contact details also contribute to the hundreds of wasted hours at the council’s expense.
Last January, The P&J revealed empty properties were potentially a £3 million drain on the cash-strapped council.
But since, millions in funding has been committed to upgrading Aberdeen homes for Ukrainian refugees.
Why are empty council homes an issue in Aberdeen?
Properties being vacant for longer means missed income – and the Granite City loses out on more than double the Scottish average of 1.43% because of unoccupied homes in 2021-22.
Aberdeen City Council took an average of 106.7 days to re-let a property.
The high refusal rate was only one contributing factor to that – but outgoing chief community empowerment officer Derek McGowan admitted it was “frustrating for customers and officers”.
“The lack of transparency in the process generates a lack of trust from customers who often believe that they are being offered the less appealing properties from those available,” he said.
“The refusal of offers places officers in a difficult situation as they must then determine the reasonableness of each individual’s refusal and whether to carry through with the council’s policy of deferring applicants for 12 months if they refuse an offer.”
Available properties will be listed on an online portal, to be bid on by applicants.
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