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

Jubilee Fields Estate - Local Offers

We listened, we acted

We engaged with our tenants living on the Jubilee Fields Estate during 2021 to find out what is important to them. This engagement has allowed us to form Local Offers for the estate which we will continue to work on with residents and partners until the end of 2024. So far, we have collectively managed to deliver the following.

Our anti-social behaviour (ASB) offer

We acknowledge that we play a significant role in contributing to safer neighbourhoods by working in partnership. We work closely with you the Police and Durham County Council, to take swift action to resolve issues of anti-social behaviour.

We will take prompt, appropriate and decisive action in preventing anti-social behaviour and when managing incidents.

Between April 2021 and March 2024 we have worked in partnership to reduce reported anti-social behaviour across the estate by 46% (police data). We have introduced several initiatives including estate inspections, working collectively with PACT and introducing positive youth activities. In 2023/24 we prioritised the reduction of off-road bikes on the estate as you have highlighted this as a key concern - open space and playing field protection. We have also worked with the Police Commissioner’s office through the anti-social behaviour Trailblazer programme to introduce more patrols and outreach youth work.

Support with anti-social behaviour Support with anti-social behaviour

Our parking offer

We listened to you when you told us that an increase in vehicle ownership has caused difficulty parking on the estate.

We will improve the parking on our regeneration projects and work with you and Durham County Council to find ways of improving parking in other areas of the estate.

Our parking plan for the estate which we have developed with our County Councillors will be competed at the end of 2024 and will have introduce 114 new car parking spaces. These are concentrated on the Courts, Maple Avenue, Firtree, Magnolia, Jasmine and Jubilee Road.

Our tidy garden’s offer

We want our communities to be pleasant places to live and we listened when you said that untidy gardens, with fly tipping and litter are issues on the estate. You can report any concerns about gardens using our Livin app. If the untidy space or garden does not belong to a us, we will support you to contact the right people at Durham County Council.

We will carry out regular inspections of your estate to make sure our homes and properties are maintained to a suitable standard.

Between August 2021 and March 2024 we have carried out 32 estate inspections identifying 38 untidy gardens, 34 have been investigated and closed whilst a further 4 continue to be under investigation. We put in place a scheme which also supports those tenants who are unable to tidy their gardens due to age and ability.

Report green space issue Report green space issue Our estate walkabout programme Our estate walkabout programme

Our income and employment offer

We know that the ‘cost of living’ is affecting everyone, but some more than most. We can support you to improve your skills and provide routes into work to help ease the financial burden.

Our Livin Futures team can help you access training, volunteering opportunities and job vacancies.

Between April 2021 and March 2024 our Livin Futures employability team supported 38 tenants into employment.

We acted and will continue to act…

We are very lucky to have a tenant group for your estate that will help us to monitor our Local Offers.

We will keep you updated through our dedicated Jubilee Fields page and we will review your local offers in three years.

Other local offers Other local offers