Building and Acquiring Sustainable Homes

We aim to build and acquire additional high-quality, sustainable homes, which meet the needs of customers, in balanced and sustainable communities.

Here’s how we are doing…

Performance Measures

71 Homes developed and acquired (excluding buy backs) (target 76)

95.32% Of homes secured against business plan targets over a three-year period (target 85%)

0.92% New supply delivered (development acquisitions) - Social Housing (Value for Money Metric 2) (target 0.98%) low median quartile

403 new build homes developed and acquired, cumulative over 3 years (target 408)

90.8 average SAP rating of land led homes completed (target 87) upper quartile (comparator)

84.79% average SAP rating or acquisitions completed (target 85) upper quartile (comparator)

Key stats

£18.4m Invested in the creation of new homes

71 New homes built or acquired across nine development sites

10 Former Right to Buy homes reacquired for affordable rent

14 Homes built with air source heat pumps and 18 homes with solar PV panels

Building and Acquiring Sustainable Homes – The year in review

Over the past year, we have made real progress in growing the number of homes we manage and improving the types of homes we build. We have delivered 71 new homes for affordable and social rent across eight development sites in Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland, Chilton, Newton Aycliffe, Low Etherley, Wynyard, and Darlington. These homes are part of our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality, accessible housing for people across our communities.

As part of our focus on sustainability, 14 of these homes were fitted with air source heat pumps and 18 with solar photovoltaic panels. This helps to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions, with cleaner and more efficient ways to heat and power homes.

We invested £18.4 million into these developments, making sure each home meets modern standards for comfort, affordability, and environmental performance. The air source heat pumps provide a more efficient heating solution, while the solar panels help lower electricity costs and offer a more sustainable energy source.

As well as building new homes, we also brought 10 former Right to Buy homes back into our affordable housing stock. These homes had previously been sold but are now available again to support local housing needs. We also converted a former guest house into two spacious, modern homes, helping to provide much-needed larger family accommodation.

This year also marked a major milestone for us. We have now grown our total housing portfolio to over 9,000 homes. This reflects our continued commitment to meeting the housing needs of our communities while investing in a greener future.

We listened, we acted

We listened  (Complaints)

You wanted clear information on tenant’s responsibilities and landlord’s responsibilities when repairs are needed to a newly built home. You also wanted us to give more information at first point of contact.

We acted 

We have trained front-line employees on the process for reporting repairs for homes that have been built in the past 12 months, including what is ours and the tenant’s responsibility.

Have you read our summarised policies?

We have summarised our customer policies to make them accessible and easy to read.

Jump to another section:

Consistently Delivering Excellent Customer Experience and Digital Services

Contributing to a Sustainable Future

Supporting Balanced and Sustainable Communities

Supporting Sustainable Tenancies

Providing Quality Sustainable Homes

Building and Acquiring Sustainable Homes

Finance

How do I apply for a Livin home or bungalow?

We advertise all of our available homes on our Find A Home page, simply visit this page for more information.

Before you can place a bid on one of our homes, you must first have an active account with the relevant Choice Based Lettings Scheme. Almost all our homes are located in County Durham and therefore are allocated through the Durham Key Options scheme. Durham Key Options (DKO) is a partnership between Durham County Council and landlords across County Durham.

We have a small number of homes which are located outside Durham, these are all advertised through Tees Valley HomeFinder, Hartlepool HomeSearch and Darlington HomeSearch; They are similar to Durham Key Options but we do not process applications registered for these schemes. If you wish to register an application for homes advertised in this area, please apply directly.

Once your application is approved, you will then be able to bid on homes that meet your needs. You can access the application form directly by visiting the relevant Choice Based Lettings system.

How long will it take for my application to be processed?

We aim to start processing your application within 10 working days. If we require any further information after this point, we will contact you to ask for this. Once we have received all the required information we will notify you of our decision within 20 days, and if accepted we will activate your account. You can also check your application status online by logging into the DKO portal.

How can I get involved with Livin and help to shape services?

To find out more about the different ways you can get involved, please visit our getting involved section.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Buy?

Tenants who have been with Livin since before the transfer from Sedgefield Council in 2009 may have the “Preserved Right to Buy” their property. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Buy website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Acquire?

If you have been a tenant for 3 or more years you may have the right to buy your property under the Right to Acquire scheme. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Acquire website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.