The average wait for some council houses in Sandwell is nearly ten years.
Shocking figures have revealed the extent of the housing crisis in Sandwell with more than 17,000 people facing long waits for a council house.
The average wait for a council flat in Sandwell is between ten and 15 months depending on the person’s circumstances whereas the average wait for a house, which is in the greatest demand, could fall anywhere between one year and 8 months and 10 years.
The local authority said it would take 13 years to clear its current waiting list if no new applications were received.
There are currently 17,274 people on the council’s waiting list – nearly triple the figure from four years ago. On average, 111 applications for council housing are made each week. Just 1,300 council properties were let last year despite the huge waiting list.
The massive demand for council housing saw one address in Rowley Regis receive more than 1,500 bids last year and there were 81 council houses across Sandwell that received more than 500 bids each.
One and two-bed properties are the biggest in demand with more than 13,000 applications.
The council’s annual housing report said the local authority owns 27,869 properties, of which 14,756 are homes. Only 1,321 properties were let last year – down from 1,780 in 2020.
More than 17,000 people sit on the waiting list for a council house in Sandwell with just over 12,500 in the lowest priority band five.
Each housing application is graded by the council with the highest priority ‘band one’ down to ‘band five’ for everyone outside the ‘priority need’ categories.
The highest priority ‘band one’ includes those living in dangerous and unsafe homes, victims of domestic abuse and extreme harassment, witness protection, children in care and care leavers, and those with urgent medical needs. The criteria are then assessed against varying degrees of vulnerability – including homelessness and overcrowding – and given a band.
A total of 520 and 1,422 applications were placed in band one and band two, with 2,705 in band three and 109 in band four.
Each band also comes with its own varying waiting time with even the highest priority applications in band one facing an average 18-month wait for a bungalow and 20-month wait for a house.
The average wait time for a flat is 10 months and one year and three months for a maisonette for those in band one.
The average waiting time for band five, where a huge majority of the applications are grouped, is 11 months for a flat, one year and 10 months for a bungalow and two years and five months for a maisonette.
The average wait for a house in band five is a staggering nine years and nine months.
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