To access properties on Bedfordshire Homefinder you must be on the council’s housing register. Click here for information and to apply for housing in Luton.
There's a shortage of social rented housing and the our waiting lists are very long. Properties are offered to people with the highest priority and waiting time.
If you have a lower priority or you haven't been on the waiting list for very long, that is probably why you haven't been successful. There are things you can do to maximise your chances of success though.
Some locations and property types are very popular and lots of people bid. If you can be flexible about where you live and the type of property you want, you're more likely to be successful for the less popular homes.
For more advice about how to bid effectively, see leaflet how to bid.
We have a housing allocation scheme which we use to assess all housing applicants. This is to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.
When they become empty, all Luton Council properties are brought up to our lettable standard. This ensures they're safe, secure, clean and in a good state of repair.
It's important to remember that your property will not have any carpets, furniture or white goods - you'll need to provide these yourself.
For advice about other sources of housing, please go to the housing options page.
We do advertise some properties which are adapted for people with mobility needs. Adaptations vary and, if your needs are very specific, we may not have properties which exactly meet your needs.
In some cases adaptations can be made to a property to make it more suitable. We'd need advice from an occupational therapist about this. See adapted housing for more information about housing for people with a disability.
If you're a council or housing association tenant, you'll be given priority for under-occupying your home, provided that you're happy to move to a property which is the right size for your household.
If you’re a single person or a couple you can normally only be considered for a one-bedroom flat.
Some landlords offer help with moving costs if you're downsizing – you need to check with your current landlord whether you qualify for any financial help or incentives.
Older applicants can be considered for particular housing schemes with an age restriction. This means that you can choose to live in a block with neighbours of a similar age, rather than with younger people or families. These flats are generally more secure and also benefit from additional support services for those who need them. See housing for older people for more information.
There is high demand for all social housing but particularly for family sized homes. You can only be offered a property large enough for people who live with you permanently. We cannot offer you a ‘spare’ bedroom and if you are on benefits you would not receive full benefit for a property that is deemed to be too large for you. Help with housing costs is limited to the Local Housing Allowance rates for the area you live in. You can check the LHA rate for specific areas and the number of bedrooms you are entitled to here:
Some properties are let at “affordable rents”. These are around 80% of private rents for the area so can be expensive, depending on the location. (Affordable Rent is a government scheme to help housing providers generate income to invest in building more homes). Properties let at traditional social rents are generally cheaper so you can opt to bid only for these properties. Depending on your household composition and total household income you may be eligible for help towards housing costs. To find out what you might be entitled to go to https://www.entitledto.co.uk/.
This questionnaire will take you through your circumstances and give you an idea of what help might be available.
Some Council tenants have the right to buy, but only if they have had a secure tenancy for at least three years. Various other restrictions apply as well. For information, you will need to check with the Council once you have taken up a tenancy. You can also visit the Government’s advice pagehttps://www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home. Most housing association tenants do not have the right to buy their homes, unless the property was built after 1997. Again, there are various other restrictions in place and the landlord will be able to advise you further.
The law allows the spouse, partner or adult child of a tenant to succeed to a tenancy where a tenant dies. A succession of tenancy can only happen once, so if a couple have a joint tenancy and one partner passes away the remaining partner succeeds. In that case, there can’t be a further succession to an adult child. A person can only succeed to a tenancy if they have lived in the property for at least 12 months before the tenant dies, and if it is a suitable property for them. For instance, a single young adult can succeed to a tenancy but if the property is a three-bedroom family home they will be offered a one-bedroom home instead. Only one person can be a successor tenant so if you have more than one adult child only one, normally the eldest, will succeed.