Durham County Council has changed the Council Tax Reduction Scheme. From 1 April 2026, all working‑age residents will need to contribute towards their Council Tax.

We want to make sure you have the right advice and support. If you’re unsure how these changes might affect you, or what to do next, please contact Durham County Council on 03000 262 0000.

Consistently Delivering Excellent Customer Experience and Digital Services

Customer Experience

We are committed to providing excellent services that are consistent, reliable, innovative and influenced by customers.

Here’s how we are doing…

Performance Measures

88.33% overall satisfaction with customer experience (target 89%)

89.39% of queries dealt with at first point of contact (target 85%)

73.62% of transactions completed digitally (target 78%)

79.88% of homes where access was gained at first visit (target 82%)

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

91% Overall satisfaction (TP01) (target 90%)

85.04% Satisfaction that the landlord keeps tenants informed about things that matter to them (TP07) (target 84%)

91.31% Agree that the landlord treats tenants fairly and with respect (TP08) (target 91%)

Key stats

Over 349,00 customer contacts (all methods of digital and non-digital contact)

Customer Services dealt with over 83,000 contacts resolving over 74,000 at first point of contact

Local offer

We will always try to answer queries at the first point of contact, and when this is not possible, we will let you know who will be dealing with your query and provide updates until the query is resolved. In 2024/25, we resolved 88.39% of customer enquiries at First Point of Contact. Where we could not answer the initial enquiry, we contacted over 7,500 (83.54%) of customers back within two working days.

Complaints and Feedback

We know sometimes things go wrong and when they do, we aim to put them right as quickly as possible and learn from our mistakes so we can do better in the future.

Complaints and Feedback in 2024/25

Customer Voice

We encourage customer feedback, place listening to our customers at the heart of what we do and ensure our arrangements enable tenants to engage and influence in a meaningful way to continuously improve services.

Here’s how we are doing…

Customer Voice in 2024/25

Have you read our summarised policies?

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

Summarised Customer Policies

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.