Property Pool Plus Policy Changes, November 2023

What is Property Pool Plus (PPP)?

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PPP is a service designed for affordable housing to rent in the areas of Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral, and Halton. Housing providers throughout Merseyside will list their properties for rent on PPP each week, to allow you to find your preferred home. There is a variety of houses, ranging from: bungalows, flats, apartments, and sheltered accommodation. Around 150 homes will be made available each week which you can bid on. The local authorities have worked to reform the service and a new policy and process is due to be implemented having been recently announced.

 

What is not changing?

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The process in which available properties are advertised and how people can bid on them will remain the same. All information in relation to registering and where bidding is found will also remain the same (A quick guide on this information can be found through this link: https://www.propertypoolplus.org.uk/content/Quickguides/PPPquickguide)

 

What is happening between the period of the policy changing?

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The existing scheme will be closed for new applications from Saturday 7th October – 7th November 2023. The last date to apply for housing under the existing scheme will be Friday 6th October 2023.

There will be 2 weeks when there will be no properties advertised through PPP. The last time properties will be advertised will close on Sunday 22nd October 2023.

Properties will start to be advertised again from Tuesday 7th November 2023.

Whilst the scheme is closed you can receive advice and support from the following Homeless Teams for your Local Council area:

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• Halton housing solutions – 0151 511 6969 -  HousingSolutionsteam@halton.gov.uk

• Liverpool Housing Options – 0151 233 3061 (New Cases) or 0151 233 3044 (Open Cases) – HousingOptionsService@liverpool.gov.uk

• Knowsley Housing Solutions – 0151 443 2333 - https://knowsleytransaction.mendixcloud.com/index.html

• Sefton Housing Options – 0151 934 3541 – Housing.Options@sefton.gov.uk

• Wirral Housing Options – 0151 666 5511 - https://www.wirral.gov.uk/housing/housing-information-and-advice/housing-advice/preventing-and-dealing-homelessness

 

Other important factors to note

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If you have an active application, no new application will be required to be made however review letters are being sent out to current applicants. If you receive a review letter is extremely important that you respond this by the deadline because you risk being taken off the housing list altogether if you do not, this would result in you needing to make a new application and being given a new registration and effective date.

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Your current application will be reassessed using the new policy criteria. This may mean the new eligibility criteria may affect whether you qualify for the scheme, or there could be a change to your priority band (this could either be to go to a higher band or to a lower band).

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If you do not meet the new qualification criteria, your application will be closed.

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If there are any changes to your application, PPP will send you a letter to explain this to you.

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PPP may need to contact you to ask for more information, or to ask you to renew your application. Therefore, please make sure to reply to any of PPP’s contacts within the deadlines given.

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If you have any further questions that are not answered within this document, visit Property Pool Plus’s ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page, where your question may be answered. This can be found through the link: 

 

https://www.propertypoolplus.org.uk/content/PPPisChanging/NewPolicyFrequentlyAskedQuestions

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Similarly, Vauxhall Law Centre may be able to assist following the introduction of the new scheme if your application has been impacted or cancelled. You can contact us at: 0151 360 7777 or email: advice@vauxhalllawcentre.org.uk