FAMILIES waiting for a council home in Ellesmere Port and Neston are now able to move in quicker.
Cheshire West and Chester Council’s (CWaC) housing team has cut in half the time it takes to move families into empty homes by speeding up any work that needs doing to the property.
According to the latest monthly figures, turnaround times on empty homes are now down to 37 days from the day the old tenant leaves to the day a new tenant moves in. That’s under half the figure of 75 days in October 2009. A snapshot survey last month showed performance is improving all the time, with the figure down to 27 days.
Executive member for prosperity Cllr Herbert Manley said: “There has been a marked and continuing improvement in the time taken to let our homes. We now believe we will beat our targets for this year.
"We are very pleased with our progress as this is a really important area to get right.
“Letting out our homes as quickly as we can makes a big difference to the people who are waiting to move in. Ensuring as many properties as possible have tenants, means we have the income to maintain them properly, making the most efficient use of our resources.”
The success is down to the creation of a dedicated team ensuring homes can be re-let quickly. Homes are now being inspected as soon as the old tenant gives notice so that any work needed can be arranged before they move out.
Homes are also being advertised earlier to would-be tenants so they can move in as soon as the property is ready. The new choice-based lettings system used by the council is also speeding the process along. All of the council’s long-term empty homes have now been let.