Common Allocations Policy April 2025

Appeals

We will always try our best to give you an excellent service, but we know sometimes things go wrong and you might want to appeal against decisions that we make about your housing application.

If you are unhappy about any decision we have made on your application, you can appeal:

• the group or points we award your application
• a decision to suspend you from receiving offers
• decision to cancel your application
• the level of medical priority you are awarded
• an offer of housing if you think it was not a reasonable offer
• any decision we make which you believe has not been dealt with in accordance with the Common Allocations Policy.

There are two stages to this appeal process as follows:

• Stage 1
  You can appeal our decision by writing to us, emailing, or verbally, to the Housing Options Team.
  For example, if you do not agree with the group or points we have given you, you should first contact the Housing Options Team who assessed your application and ask them to reassess your case. We will do this within five working days.
• Stage 2
  If you remain dissatisfied with the decision, a written appeal can then be lodged with the Housing Options Co-ordinator or Team Leader, Specialist Services at Housing and Communities, Perth and Kinross Council, Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull Street, Perth, PH1 5GD or by emailing HousingOptions@pkc.gov.uk. The Co-ordinator or Team Leader will review your appeal within five working days so long as you have provided us with all the information we need. There is no further right of appeal.

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with the level of service you have received from us, for example, regarding the actual allocation of a property or not meeting our published service standards, each partner has a complaints procedure that is simple and easy to use.

You can contact any partner to ask for a copy of their complaints procedure. If the complaint is about the way in which your application has been registered or anything that is directly associated with the CHR you can complain using the Council's Corporate Complaints Procedure by:

• completing an online enquiry form
• telephoning us on 01738 475500
• emailing CustomerComplaints@pkc.gov.uk
• writing to us at the Customer Service Centre, Perth and Kinross Council, Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull Street, PERTH, PH1 5GD
• visiting us at Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull Street, Perth; at our partners' offices or any Council office

Our complaints procedures will explain each step of our process, and how you can appeal to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. You must generally use our internal complaints system before contacting the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman is a government-based organisation who will review your case if you have already been through our complaints procedures and you feel we have not dealt with your complaint fairly. At each stage of the application and allocation process, we will remind you of your right to appeal against decisions that we make about your housing application.

If you are not satisfied by our response, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to investigate:

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4A Melville Street
EDINBURGH
EH3 7NS

Tel 0800 377 7330
Fax 0800 377 7331

Email ask@spso.org.uk

The Scottish Housing Regulator

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) is the independent regulator of registered social landlords and local authority housing services in Scotland.

The SHR has a legal responsibility to:

'safeguard and promote the interests of current and future tenants of social landlords, people who are or may become homeless, and people who use housing services provided by registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities'

The SHR monitors how well the partners are delivering their housing services, managing their finances and performing good standards of governance. If needed, the SHR will intervene to make improvements where there is evidence that this is needed.

All partners will provide evidence each year that their performance meets the standards set out by the SHR in the Scottish Social Housing Charter. This means that the SHR will monitor, assess, compare and report on the performance of all partners in relation to:

• how easy we make it for you to apply for housing
• how well we communicate with you and give you advice
• how well we manage the Common Housing Register

Our approach to monitoring our performance against Charter standards is set out fully in the next section of this Policy.

Equality and diversity

All partners are firmly committed to equality of opportunity for all housing applicants, and will ensure that in applying this policy we will not discriminate against any individual, household or group on grounds of race, gender, sex, marital status/civil partnership, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, language, social origin, disability, age or other personal attribute.

We will make this policy available in alternative formats such as large print or Braille on request. Translation services for other languages or British Sign Language will also be made available if you require this. We are also firmly committed to the equalities standard in the Scottish Social Housing Charter that 'every tenant and other customer has their individual needs recognised, is treated fairly and with respect, and receives fair access to housing and housing services'.

An Equality Impact Assessment has been completed for this Policy. If you would like a copy, please contact the Housing Options Team on 01738 476000.