Renting a home
The demand for social housing in Sunderland is greater than its supply. We let properties in an open and transparent way to meet people’s housing needs.
Applying to join our housing register
To join our housing register you must be aged 16 years or older. You can apply to live:
- on your own
- with a partner
- with family
- with another adult who wants to live with you, like a friend
We accept applications from people who:
- live outside the Sunderland area
- own a property
How to apply
You can no longer create or edit HomeHunt accounts as we move to our new online housing register. It will be available on 3 April and we will advertise available properties on our new online housing register from 12 April 2023. Find out more about our new online housing register.
We may ask you to prove your right to rent in England. We will do this if you:
- have lived outside the UK, Channel Islands, Republic of Ireland or the Isle of Man in the last 5 years
- are not a British citizen
If you are eligible for social housing, we put you in one of four allocation bands based on your needs. We may ask you for evidence to help put you in the correct band.
Housing needs and allocation bands
We use the information in your housing application to put you in an allocation band based on your housing needs. We may ask you for evidence to help put you in the correct band.
We automatically add you to band 3 so you can start bidding for a home as soon as possible. Once we have reviewed your application, we will contact you if your band has changed. Your band will also be in your HomeHunt account.
If you cannot bid for a home, it may be because your application is incomplete or information needs updating.
The 4 allocation bands are:
- Band 1+ is for people who live in a Gentoo renewal area where properties need major improvements
- Band 1 is for people who have a legal or urgent need of housing and need to move at once
- Band 2 is for people who have a priority housing need
- Band 3 is for people who have general housing needs, which includes people who live outside of Sunderland
If you disagree with your allocation band
You have the right to ask for a review of your allocation band.
If you are a Gentoo tenant and you want to ask for a review of your allocation band, call 0191 525 5000 and select option 3.
If you live outside of Sunderland, contact your local council and they will be able to change your allocation band.
If you are an existing Gentoo tenant
You must be 2 or more years into your current tenancy before you can move to a different Gentoo property.
If we assess that you have a priority need for housing within the first 2 years, you can reapply to join our housing register. A priority housing need includes:
- antisocial behaviour
- exceptional circumstances, like a fire or flood in your current home
- financial difficulties
- mobility needs
- overcrowding
- under occupying, where one person lives in a home with 3 bedrooms
Nominated by your local council
You can also join our housing register if your local council nominates you.
We have agreements with local councils, so they nominate people who:
- are on their waiting list
- are homeless
- have a legal or urgent need of housing and need to move at once
The local councils we have agreements with are:
- Durham County Council
- Middlesbrough Council
- Northumberland County Council
- Sunderland City Council
- South Tyneside Council
Finding and bidding for a property
We advertise available properties every Wednesday at 2pm. Each advert runs for 7 days until midday the following Wednesday.
You can bid for up to 5 properties a week. Each week starts when we advertise our available properties. You must bid for or get help to bid for properties on HomeHunt.
Withdrawing a bid
If you are no longer interested in a property that you have bid on, you must withdraw your bid before the advert closes.
You can use HomeHunt to withdraw a bid or call 0191 525 5000 and select option 3.
Ranking and shortlisting
We rank bids and create shortlists for each property. We rank bids by:
- allocation band
- how well you match the property labels in the advert
- the date and time we put you in your allocation band if you are in band 1+, 1 or 2
- the date and time we got your application
New build properties that have never had a tenant are open to all applicants. For these properties, we rank bids by:
- how well you match the property labels in the advert
- the date and time we got your application
Your rank on a property shortlist is in your HomeHunt account.
Viewing a property
We invite the people on the shortlist to view the property. The viewing could be an individual or a group viewing. If your viewing is a group viewing, we will let you know.
We will make reasonable attempts to arrange a viewing that suits you.
If you do not come to a viewing, we will move on to the next person in the shortlist.
If you are not a current Gentoo tenant
To help speed up the process, bring 2 identity documents to your viewing. Where possible, one of these should be photographic ID like a passport or driving licence.
If we do not have these documents within 48 hours of the viewing, we will move on to the next person in the shortlist.
Offering a property
We offer the property to the highest ranked person on the shortlist. You have 48 hours to decide if you want to accept the offer.
Refusing an offer
If you refuse or do not respond to the initial offer, we will offer it to the next highest-ranked person from the shortlist.
If you refuse or do not respond to the initial offer and it is for a new build property, you will no longer be eligible to bid for any other new build properties. A new build property is any home that has never had a tenant. You can continue to bid on all our other available properties.
Accepting an offer
When you accept our initial offer, we complete checks to make sure you can afford the property and would be a suitable tenant. We check:
- you are still eligible for social housing
- your financial situation to make sure you can afford to pay the rent, including your income, savings and the value of any assets you own, like properties and shares in a business
- landlord or mortgage references
- your police record, if needed
- if you owe us any money, including rent arrears, former tenant arrears, repairs we charge for, or court costs
- your application form again
- your current home, where suitable
If you are a Gentoo tenant, we may also use what we know about your:
- payment history
- housekeeping
- behaviour
When we complete the checks, we will either:
- formally offer you the property
- withdraw our initial offer
If you refuse or do not respond to the formal offer, we will offer it to the next highest-ranked person from the shortlist.
If you refuse or do not respond to the formal offer and it is for a new build property, you will no longer be eligible to bid for any other new build properties. A new build property is any home that has never had a tenant. You can continue to bid on all our other available properties.
If we find that you can afford to buy or privately rent similar properties in the area, we may withdraw our initial offer.
Signing your tenancy agreement
When you sign your tenancy agreement, you must pay at least 1 week’s rent and give us:
- proof of your identity
- any Housing Benefit or Universal Credit details
- proof you have the right to rent in England
We give you a welcome pack and go through the Tenant Handbook with you.
You will meet and get the details of your Neighbourhood Co-ordinator who will:
- help you manage your tenancy
- give you advice and support to meet your needs
- refer you to colleagues and partner organisations where needed for things like advice on how to manage your money and Universal Credit
If you are moving into a sheltered housing or extra care scheme, you will meet and get the details of your Scheme Manager. Find out more about scheme managers and what they do.
Get your keys and move in
You will work with your Neighbourhood Co-ordinator or Scheme Manager to agree a date you will move in and start your tenancy.
We will give you 2 sets of keys. We recommend you give the second set to a trusted friend or family member and let us know who they are so we can contact them in an emergency. We do not keep copies of your keys.
If you move into a flat in a building with a communal entrance, you will also get a key or fob for the building’s secure door entry system.
If you lose or damage your keys or fobs, we may charge you.
Welcome emails
Your Neighbourhood Co-ordinator will send you 3 welcome emails when you start your tenancy.
The first email is a general welcome and includes your tenancy reference number and your co-ordinator’s contact details.
The second email is about repairs and how to report them.
The third email is about how you can get involved to help us improve our services.