Frequently asked questions

How do I apply for a Livin home or bungalow?

We advertise all of our available homes on our Find A Home page, simply visit this page for more information.

Before you can place a bid on one of our homes, you must first have an active account with the relevant Choice Based Lettings Scheme. Almost all our homes are located in County Durham and therefore are allocated through the Durham Key Options scheme. Durham Key Options (DKO) is a partnership between Durham County Council and landlords across County Durham.

We have a small number of homes which are located outside Durham, these are all advertised through Tees Valley HomeFinder, Hartlepool HomeSearch and Darlington HomeSearch; They are similar to Durham Key Options but we do not process applications registered for these schemes. If you wish to register an application for homes advertised in this area, please apply directly.

Once your application is approved, you will then be able to bid on homes that meet your needs. You can access the application form directly by visiting the relevant Choice Based Lettings system.

How long will it take for my application to be processed?

We aim to start processing your application within 10 working days. If we require any further information after this point, we will contact you to ask for this. Once we have received all the required information we will notify you of our decision within 20 days, and if accepted we will activate your account. You can also check your application status online by logging into the DKO portal.

How can I get involved with Livin and help to shape services?

To find out more about the different ways you can get involved, please visit our getting involved section.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Buy?

Tenants who have been with Livin since before the transfer from Sedgefield Council in 2009 may have the “Preserved Right to Buy” their property. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Buy website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Acquire?

If you have been a tenant for 3 or more years you may have the right to buy your property under the Right to Acquire scheme. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Acquire website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.

More FAQ's

Ways We Listened to and Acted on Your Voice

We use information from satisfaction surveys, data on how services are used and feedback from our InsightXchange sessions to make service improvements that make a real difference. Here is some examples of service improvements your voice has helped us to make.

Anti-social behaviour

We listened

Following an increase in complaints about the handling of reports of antisocial behaviour, we invited our InsightXchange group to scrutinise the overall service and experience. They told us that we were not clear on what customers could expect when reporting neighbour issues and that sometimes we did not consider individual communication needs or keep people updated on their case.

We acted

The 12-week review resulted in changes to our policy and a clear set of service standards which include details of how we will tailor our contacts to meet your needs, keep you updated about your case and work with other agencies that can help. You can read our updated policy and approach to tackling anti-social behaviour using the button below.

Anti-social behavior Anti-social behavior

Repairs communication

We listened

We presented information about complaints, satisfaction surveys and what the regulator expects from us in repairing and maintaining our homes to our InsightXchange. The group told us that we needed to improve communication about appointments and where there may be delays and improve the quality of works.

We acted

Our Head of Property Services revised our Repairs and Maintenance Policy to include a range of service standards agreed with the group which focus on providing flexible appointments outside of our normal timescales, regular updates to customers where repairs are delayed, a commitment to tailoring the service and contacts about the service to meet the needs of our vulnerable tenants, understanding and addressing the root cause of repairs not being completed to the expected quality standard.

Want to get involved?

There are a number of ways you can get involved to help us to improve services to our tenants. All of our opportunities are voluntary and you can get involved as much, or as little, as you would like.

Get involved Get involved