Housing Register Review

The Housing Register Partnership is currently reviewing the way they allocate properties. In order to do this effectively, it is necessary to first survey those people who are on or who have recently been housed through the Housing Register. In June 2008, 200 questionnaires were sent out to a random sample of households who were currently waiting to be housed or who had recently been housed. The results of this are currently being collated and will be published here shortly. These results will assist the project team to shape future policy.


The Isle of Wight Common Housing Register is administered by the Isle of Wight Council in conjunction with their Housing Register Partners South Wight Housing Association, Medina Housing Association and Vectis Housing Association. People on the Housing Register will be considered for Housing Association properties because the Council does not own any housing on the island.


The Council holds a list of the details of everyone who has applied for housing on the Isle of Wight. At the present time a points system is used to decide who needs housing the most. When they reach the top of the list in an area that they are registered for they will be offered a suitably sized property.


The Housing Register Partnership wants to introduce a different way of housing people from the waiting list. Choice Based Lettings is a new way of housing people which involves empty properties being advertised.


As properties becoming available for rent they will be advertised. If a person would like an empty property to be their home they make contact with the Council to let them know that they are interested in the property. This is known as ‘bidding’. To be able to bid on a property a person must be on the Housing Register.


Providing the property is the right size for the household it will then be offered to the bidder who needs it the most, which will be decided by the new Choice Based system.