16. Direct Lets
In certain circumstances, the Council in agreement with a landlord may allocate properties directly to applicants without them being advertised. Illustrative examples of direct lets are as follows:
- Where a property is needed urgently to deal with an emergency or to provide temporary accommodation for a homeless family.
- Where in exceptional circumstances an offer is required to prevent the homelessness of an applicant who would otherwise be requiring temporary accommodation.
- Where an allocation is required to ensure protection of the public, for example, following a decision made by a Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements meeting or to fulfil agreements made with offender management services, or where a customer has been referred as part of the witness protection scheme.
- Where an applicant’s home is being repaired and they need to be moved from the property on a temporary or permanent basis.
- Where an applicant has a specific need for support / adaptations. If they remained in their current accommodation it would cause unnecessary hardship e.g. unable to meet their basic needs.
Direct lets will be agreed by a senior officer at the Council and or a senior officer at the relevant RP.