What you can do to help?

There are many different actions that you can take to reduce your environmental impact, run a greener home, and live in a greener way.

Here are just a few greener living Top Tips to get you started on your sustainability journey:

Reduce, reuse, recycle

This could include avoiding single use plastics, cutting down on fast-fashion purchases, donating unwanted items to charity, or even just repairing things instead of chucking them away. Our partners at Durham County Council have some great information on rubbish and recycling, including what goes in which bin and how to cut down on your waste:

Durham County Council

Making changes to your home habits

This could include unplugging your devices when not in use, turning your heating down a few degrees, remembering to switch the lights off when you leave a room, or even just being that little bit quicker in the shower (ideally no more than 5 minutes). The Energy Saving Trust is a good way to find out more information about energy advice for your home:

Energy Saving Trust

Supporting nature to help it thrive

This could include connecting more with your outdoor space, feeding your local birds, planting more native plant species, or even just gardening for wildlife. Durham Wildlife Trust has some great resources to learn more about wildlife and how you can help:

Durham Wildlife Trust

Greener Livin

Find out how you can take steps towards living more sustainably in your new home.

New tenant - Greener Livin

Want to get involved?

Want to play a larger part in environmental sustainability? Find out how you can get involved to help us reduce emissions and limit our environmental impact.

Tell us you want to get involved

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.