Improving your chances of finding a home | Berneslai Homes

Article: Improving your chances of finding a home

How long will it take before I am offered a new home? 

We are often asked "how long will it take for me to be offered a new home?". This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on a number of issues including the priority band, the type of property you apply for, the areas you are prepared to consider and how active you are in applying for vacancies.

Between 1st April and 30th September 2011 the average waiting time before rehousing from each priority band was: 

Band 1 – 140 days
Band 2 - 147 days
Band 3 – 158 days
Band 4 – 798 days

A general rule in deciding how long you are likely to be waiting is the more restrictions you place in terms of locality, property type, landlord etc... the longer you are likely to be waiting.

People willing to consider any property type (house, flat, bungalow) in any location with any landlord are likely to be more successful than people who only want for example a house, in one location.

What can I do to improve my chances of finding a new home?

It is true that most homes are offered to people with high levels of housing need in priority bands 1-3. However if you are in band 4 all is not lost.

During April to September 2011 over 40% of all homes were let to people in band 4. 

 Your chances of finding a home could be increased by:

• Applying for vacancies in as many localities as possible. If you only apply for vacancies in one area your chances of success will be much lower.
• Considering all types of home - houses, flats and bungalows. We find that we receive fewer applications for vacant flats and one bedroom bungalows. Houses and two bedroom bungalows tend to be in very high demand in all parts of Barnsley.
• Consider other landlords. Our weekly property advertisement frequently includes Housing Association homes and private rented homes. While these may be slightly more expensive than council rents, if your circumstances allow, it might be worthwhile applying for these vacancies. The private rented homes we advertise are managed by Berneslai Homes. We check the standard of private homes before we advertise them.
• Looking at other homes we may advertise including low cost home ownership schemes. If you are interested in low cost home ownership why not contact Plumlife Housing Association, the governments’ Homebuy agent for South Yorkshire,. You can get further details of low cost home ownership in South Yorkshire direct from Plumlife by logging on to their website (www.plumlife.co.uk) or by ringing 0161 447 5050. 

To assist you in finding a council home in Barnsley we have recently introduced the 'Property types by area' page on our website. This includes information on how many and the types of homes we manage in every village in Barnsley. This information can help you decide:

• If we have the type of property you want in your preferred areas;
• If you need to consider widening your areas of choice;
• If council housing is a realistic option for you;
• If you need to consider other housing options.