We are extending changes to the way we allocate our properties to continue to help those most in need on our waiting list for another six-month period.
There’s currently around 20,000 people registered on our allocations system HomeHunt, who are seeking a new home in Sunderland. Last year we announced temporary changes to reduce wait times and ensure fair access to rented homes in Sunderland and more than 700 new tenants from our waiting list moved into properties.
To continue to provide homes for those in need, the current freeze will be extended for a further six-month period. This means the HomeHunt accounts of existing tenants registered without a priority need will remain frozen, meaning they will not be able to apply to move to another Gentoo property until 30 September 2021.
As part of the move, we will continue to work closely with Sunderland City Council to allocate homes to local people, who have been nominated by the Council, with a priority housing need.
Our housing allocations will remain open for tenants registered in bands one and two, with 249 existing tenants with a priority need receiving a new home in the past six months of the changes.
Susie Thompson, Director of Housing at Gentoo Group said: “The ongoing pandemic has emphasised the importance of safe, secure and affordable homes and we’re committed to providing this for Sunderland’s residents.
“The temporary changes we implemented last year have allowed us to provide hundreds of local people with a safe place to call home. This extension means we can continue to prioritise our vital housing supply for existing tenants with a priority need and those from our waiting list who are looking to start a new tenancy with us.”
While transferring from one Gentoo property to another is suspended, existing tenants can still take advantage of our mutual exchange scheme.
Once the six-month freeze is complete, existing Gentoo tenants will be reinstated to the HomeHunt system and their original date of registration will be unaffected.
