We will also check the last 5 years of your tenancy records. This includes your rent history, any issues of antisocial behaviour and references.
Our ambition is to increase the number of affordable homes in Leeds through the provision of new or additional council homes to address the housing shortage in Leeds and to improve the lives of our tenants.
The policy for letting Hough Top new build council homes and acquisitions
Updated 12/05/2025
1. Introduction
The Hough Top and Acquisitions New Build Lettings Policy (HALP) sits alongside the council’s main lettings policy. It covers the new build homes at Hough Top, Pudsey and new build properties acquired for general needs allocations by the council. This policy does not cover extra care schemes, supported housing schemes or individual buy back properties which are allocated using different criteria. It does not cover housing association new builds homes. The Hough Top and acquisitions new build lettings policy came into effect in May 2025 and applies to these new build homes over a 5-year period.
Previous council new builds (pre-2025) were let through the New Build Lettings Policy, all new build policies will revert to Leeds City Council’s main lettings policy 5 years after completion.
2. Aims of the NBLP
The objective of the HALP is to deliver sustainable lettings, create stable and balanced communities as well as reward existing council tenants within the regeneration areas across the city.
The HALP helps us allocate our new homes to people who meet their responsibilities as tenants and have an excellent tenancy record. We aim to build stronger neighbourhoods where people are proud to live and take pride in being part of the local community.
3. Advertising New Build Homes
New build homes will be advertised through the Leeds Homes website.
Highly adapted properties suitable for wheelchair users will be let to applicants by a direct let.
Properties will be advertised with an indicative rent level which will be up to 80% of the market rent. It will be made clear on the advert the rents are subject to a final evaluation nearer handover and are subject to change.
Properties will be advertised in order of housing need and preference of offers will be given to applicants in the following order:
- Leeds City Council tenants living in the ward
- Local Connection to the ward area by means of living in, working in or having close family living in the ward.
- All applicants
All applicants will need to demonstrate an excellent tenancy record. We will consider an applicant’s rent payment history, issues of anti-social behaviour and overall tenancy record. References will be requested from Housing Associations or private landlords (5 years history will be considered).
4. Shortlisting
Properties will be shortlisted in housing need order.
An applicant’s Local Connection and Excellent Tenancy Record will be considered during the shortlisting process:
For the Local Connection we will consider:
Preference group | Criteria |
APPLIES TO ALL LETTINGS People with a local connection to the area – this would include living in, working in, or having close family living in the ward area. Lettings teams will check information held on the council’s housing application system and will contact prospective applicants to confirm the current information on local connection. |
Residence in the area for 3 out of the last 5 years or 6 out of the last 12 months. (Not prison or hospital) |
Current employment or confirmed offer of employment. The employment can be part-time but not casual. Self-employed and zero-hour contracts also count | |
Close family associations (parents, brothers, sisters, or children) that have been living in the area for 12 months. | |
Specialist reason: Individual circumstances will be considered. |
We will contact applicants to ask for evidence to verify their local connection, for example, proof of employment. In certain circumstances, we may consider waiving the local connection or accepting lesser proofs.
An excellent tenancy record will be considered when shortlisting for all our new homes. An excellent tenancy record is where an applicant has taken care of their current tenancy to a level reasonably expected. For existing Leeds City Council tenants, we check our internal records for example your rent account balance, for non-Leeds City Council applicants a reference request will be sent to their landlord, permission will be sought from the applicant in the first instance.
In general behaviour up to 5 years should be considered; however, officers should consider the proportionality of the tenancy breach, when it occurred and behaviour since then.
If an applicant is being considered for a new build home, a home visit will normally be undertaken, this would be an assessment of the applicant’s current property conditions and an affordability assessment to assess whether the applicant could afford to reside in the new build home.
On occasion when a home visit is not undertaken an affordability assessment would be carried out over the phone or by email.
The property condition, excellent tenancy checks and the affordability assessment will help determine whether to bypass the applicant on the grounds of property conditions or affordability before the offer is made.
Decisions will be made on the merits of each case, considering all the circumstances including:
Reasons for the breach, for example, in the case of rent arrears, what caused the arrears to accrue
The applicant has support needs, physical or mental ill health and this could have contributed to their inappropriate behaviour in their tenancy.
Whether there is evidence that there has been an improvement in behaviour
The urgency of the applicant’s housing situation and whether the offer of a new home will address the issues
Whether the customer is experiencing serious violence, hate crime or harassment or is in witness protection
5. Offers
Offers of new build homes will be made in advance of handover, this will give LCC and prospective tenants certainty about the allocation.
This means tenants will not be considered for offers of other properties once a new build offer has been made. Handover dates may vary considerably from the initial dates. We will keep prospective tenants up to date about predicted handover dates, so customers can then make an informed decision on whether to accept the formal offer.
6. Viewings
We will invite successful applicants to a viewing approximately 4 weeks before handover. The viewing may not be of the specific property offered to the applicant because the contractor may only offer Housing Leeds a ‘show home’ to view.
7. Monitoring and review
A lettings evaluation report will be produced after each new build scheme is fully occupied and handed over. The report will outline the key findings and lessons learnt from each scheme and demonstrate whether we have met the main objectives of the HALP. A review of the HALP will take place when an evaluation report shows that a review is required.
What is included
All our new build homes will have affordable rents and depending on the scheme and property type, the new home may benefit from:
- an enclosed rear garden
- a garden shed, including secure cycle storage
- energy efficient heating systems
- a modern kitchen, compatible for gas or electric
- off-street parking
- a vehicle charging point
- a ground floor WC
- an overhead bath shower or level access shower
- energy efficient glazing
- energy efficient hot water systems
- smart utility meters
- private, sheltered entrances
- high quality materials, including increased insulation
Apply
To apply for a new build council home, you will need to join the Leeds Homes register on the Leeds Homes website.
After you have registered, you can place a bid on the home you want to live in.
All new build council homes, including schemes that are coming soon, are promoted and advertised on the New Build Homes page.
We recommend you check on this page regularly for updates.
Check what housing priority you have
We choose which applicants to let our new build homes to depending on what priority they are. Common rules include prioritising people who:
- Have had the highest priority need the longest
- Are Leeds City Council tenants living in the area
- Have a local connection to the area, such as living in, working in or having close family here
- Are all other applicants