Tenant Annual Report 2025
Section 12: Helping people find the right home
We know that finding the right home is life changing. Our lettings team helps people across Gateshead, whether they're looking for their first home, need to downsize, or are facing urgent housing problems. This year, we've worked hard to match tenants with suitable homes and improve access to housing support.
How we performed in 2024/25
| 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Average number of days to let an empty home | 138 days | 133 days |
Average number of days from becoming vacant to completing repairs | 95 days | 83 days |
Average number of days from repairs being completed to a new tenancy starting | 43 days | 50 days |
What we achieved in 2024/25
- let 1,323 council homes, including 1,244 to applicants on the housing register
- helped 90 overcrowded households move to a larger home, and assisted 79 tenants to downsize to free up larger homes
- reduced those seeking a home through Gateshead Home Choice from 14,465 to 12,741 by requiring a local connection to Gateshead
- supported 156 lettings through housing associations via the Gateshead Home Choice scheme
- cut the backlog of new housing applications from 1,700 to 300
- helped tenants with medical needs, with 1,090 applications received, and 963 awarded priority status
- with your input, we reviewed the housing application and homelessness appeals processes to make them more accessible, and to speed up decision-making
In the next 12 months:
- review our Allocations Policy to better support care leavers, people fleeing domestic abuse, and those facing homelessness
- promote downsizing with an extra £10,000 available to help tenants move to smaller homes
- work with housing associations to offer more homes through Gateshead Home Choice
- focus on reducing delays in medical priority assessments, especially for complex cases