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.

Looking After Your Home

We aim to make all our homes comfortable, safe and welcoming places to live.

Home safety

We have a legal responsibility to carry out regular checks to ensure that your home is safe and efficient. We also encourage you to look into contents insurance. It protects the contents of your home, garage and shed if your possessions were stolen, damaged, or destroyed in an incident like a fire or a flood.

Home Safety

Stairlift maintenance

Every six months, you will be contacted to arrange a maintenance visit to make sure your stairlift is working correctly and remains safe for you to use. If your appointment is not suitable, get in touch with us so we can help you arrange a new appointment.

Get in touch

Damp and mould

If you have noticed patches of damp and mould in your home, we want to hear from you so we can take steps to reduce it.

Damp and Mould

Reporting repairs

Our repairs service is available to help you to keep your home in good condition. Most repairs are included in your tenancy and can be reported or booked online.

Report a repair Download My Livin - iPhone Download My Livin - Android

Home surveys

We survey our homes every five years to make sure they continue to be of high quality, are safe, well maintained, and energy efficient for you and your families to live in.

Surveys are carried out by a qualified surveyor who will identify any immediate or future improvements your home may need.

Home Surveys

Dealing with pests

The treatment of pests or vermin affecting your home is a tenant responsibility, unless there are outstanding repairs to your home which are contributing to an infestation or rats in your home. The maintenance of shared communal areas, including bin stores, laundry rooms, entranceways, common rooms and green spaces, is our responsibility, you can report it using our My Livin app or get in touch.

We recommend that you contact a professional tradesperson or your Local Authority. You can book an appointment with their pest control team directly online or over the phone. Find out more and get in touch below:

Durham County Council

Hartlepool Borough Council

Darlington Borough Council

Stockton Borough Council

My Livin App Get in touch

Making alterations to your home

If you wish to carry out improvements yourself, you should first get in touch to make sure that we have agreed in advance to the alteration. Certain works also require building regulation approval and planning permission, and our staff can advise on this.

All works should be carried out by suitably qualified contractors, and should you later decide to move out, you may be required to leave any fixtures or fittings you have installed or reinstate the original fittings.

To apply for permission to alter your home, just get in touch, giving full details of the work you intend to carry out.

Request permission

Home improvement programme

Our home improvement programme runs each year and aims to make sure that our homes are high in quality and provide a safe and welcoming environment for you to live in.

If your home is scheduled to have improvements carried out this year we will be in touch to let you know the next steps. Your health and wellbeing are our priority and we will continue to closely follow the most recently published government guidance, taking all necessary precautions to deliver our services safely.

Your home improvements

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.