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.

Community Grants

We have aligned our Livin Community Grant funding programme themes to address key concerns raised by our tenants and to help meet the placemaking objectives outlined in our Plan A.

Greener places grant

Apply for a grant to help develop a project that could improve greener spaces, develop greener skills, examine greener energy or deliver a greener life.

Read about some of our current projects that have received support from our Greener places grant.

Greener places grant Projects we have funded

Safer places grant

Apply for a grant to help develop a project that could resolve incidences of anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood nuisance.

Read about one of our current projects that have received support from our Safer places grant.

Safer places grant Projects we have funded

Healthy places grant

Apply for a grant to help develop a project that could support people of all ages to improve their health and wellbeing.

Read about some of our current projects that have received support from our Healthy places grant.

Healthy places grant Projects we have funded

Financially stronger places grant

Apply for a grant to help develop a project that could support financial inclusion and provide residents with the skills and confidence to manage their own money.

Read about some of our current projects that have received support from our Financially stronger places grant.

Financially stronger places grant Projects we have funded

Bringing places together grant

Apply for a small grant of up to £500 to help bring your community together.

Bringing places together grant Projects we have funded

Advice and guidance

Is this funding not right for you or do you have a question you would like to ask? We can guide you on the right path for your project.

Get in touch

Our partners

We are proud to be working with strong partners in our communities.

View our partners

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.