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Have Your Say on Proposed Changes to How we Allocate Council Houses
This consultation has concluded.
You said:
You told us you wanted the Housing Allocations Policy to be fairer, clearer and to better prioritise people most in need.
We did:
A new Housing Allocations Policy was approved in October 2025 and is now being rolled out, with full changes in place by September 2026.
So far, we've:
updated the waiting list so it reflects current housing needs
introduced a clearer groups and points system (in progress)
improved how health and housing needs are assessed
made changes to sheltered housing so it better supports those who need it most
removed some outdated restrictions and made the lettings process simpler
Over the coming months housing applicants will received updated information, keeping them in the loop about their application.
East Renfrewshire Council is proposing some changes to the way we let our homes. Across Scotland, there is insufficient social housing for those who need/want it, i.e. homes for rent from Councils and Housing Associations. This means that all social landlords must have a system that prioritises those in greatest need, including those that we must prioritise by law.
As a small council with a very limited supply of homes for rent, we introduced “Homeseeker”, our Choice Based Lettings service in 2019 to improve the choices for those on our housing list and for existing tenants. Despite building more homes, and having a programme of new build into the future, demand for council housing is still far greater than supply in East Renfrewshire.
We have again reviewed our current policy on how we prioritise the allocation of our homes to ensure we consider those in most need of council housing, whilst continuing to provide choice for applicants. We are also conscious of making best use of the homes we have and meeting the needs of our local residents, so the proposed changes reflect the need for a more flexible approach in places.
This consultation is open from May 1st until June 13th 2025
Please let us know your views on the proposals by taking the survey below, but first click here to read our summary of the proposed changes.
If you have questions on any aspect of the proposal or need further information, please click the 'Questions' button below. There you can submit a question and a member of the Allocations Team will get back to you within three working days.
Have Your Say on Proposed Changes to How we Allocate Council Houses
This consultation has concluded.
You said:
You told us you wanted the Housing Allocations Policy to be fairer, clearer and to better prioritise people most in need.
We did:
A new Housing Allocations Policy was approved in October 2025 and is now being rolled out, with full changes in place by September 2026.
So far, we've:
updated the waiting list so it reflects current housing needs
introduced a clearer groups and points system (in progress)
improved how health and housing needs are assessed
made changes to sheltered housing so it better supports those who need it most
removed some outdated restrictions and made the lettings process simpler
Over the coming months housing applicants will received updated information, keeping them in the loop about their application.
East Renfrewshire Council is proposing some changes to the way we let our homes. Across Scotland, there is insufficient social housing for those who need/want it, i.e. homes for rent from Councils and Housing Associations. This means that all social landlords must have a system that prioritises those in greatest need, including those that we must prioritise by law.
As a small council with a very limited supply of homes for rent, we introduced “Homeseeker”, our Choice Based Lettings service in 2019 to improve the choices for those on our housing list and for existing tenants. Despite building more homes, and having a programme of new build into the future, demand for council housing is still far greater than supply in East Renfrewshire.
We have again reviewed our current policy on how we prioritise the allocation of our homes to ensure we consider those in most need of council housing, whilst continuing to provide choice for applicants. We are also conscious of making best use of the homes we have and meeting the needs of our local residents, so the proposed changes reflect the need for a more flexible approach in places.
This consultation is open from May 1st until June 13th 2025
Please let us know your views on the proposals by taking the survey below, but first click here to read our summary of the proposed changes.
If you have questions on any aspect of the proposal or need further information, please click the 'Questions' button below. There you can submit a question and a member of the Allocations Team will get back to you within three working days.
