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.

Home Improvement Programme

We want to make sure that your home is good quality, well maintained and safe. We deliver investment programmes that maintain our homes to Decent Homes Standard. Find out more about how your home improvements will be carried out below.

Read our home improvement programme for 2025

Read the full Asset Management policy or our summarised version below.

Read Summarised Policy

Your responsibilities as a tenant

When work is being carried out to ensure your home remains good quality, well maintained, and safe, You should:

Treat our employees, representatives, and contractors with respect
Refrain from smoking while our employees, representatives, and contractors are in their home
Where possible ensure the work area is clear of furniture, belongings, and pets
Ensure there are no children (under 16) present without an adult for the duration of your planned improvements
Inform us if you are unable to give access for the planned improvements
Inform us of any individual circumstances that could be impacted by the planned improvements

Our responsibilities as your landlord

We will keep you informed about planned improvements to you home with clear and timely communication. We will mutually agree start and completion dates with you , within the time and geographical limits of the improvement programme. As a minimum for all improvements (excluding minor energy efficiency improvements such as the installation of LED bulbs) we will contact customers:

• At the start of the financial year we will write to you to let you know which improvements we are planning to your home
• A Resident Liaison Officer will visit you at home to explain the work and what needs to be done to prepare for it
• 21 days before the works are programmed you will receive a letter which will give a programmed date for the works and the contact details of the Resident Liaison Officer
• 7 days before the works start you will receive a letter which will confirm the start date and the programme of works
• You will receive a visit each day that major works are carried out to you home to obtain your feedback

Kitchen Improvement Flyer

Bathroom Improvement Flyer

Rewiring Improvement Flyer

Central Heating Flyer

External Works Improvement Flyer

Life Cycles

Find out more about the life cycle for key elements of our homes and when we will replace them.

Life Cycles

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.