A Nottingham City Council scrutiny committee is being asked to endorse recommendations aimed at making better use of the city’s social housing stock, including encouraging tenants to move to smaller homes and speeding up the process of bringing empty properties back into use.
The Homes, Economy and Infrastructure Scrutiny Committee will consider the findings of a review into the council’s new “Right-Size” service and its approach to managing void council properties at a meeting on 16 March.
The review was launched after councillors identified recurring concerns about how effectively council housing stock matches the needs of tenants and households on the housing register, and how quickly empty homes are returned to use. The scrutiny work examined how homes are allocated, how tenants are supported if their housing needs change over time, and how vacant properties are repaired and re-let.
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The council introduced its Right-Size scheme in October 2025 to encourage tenants living in homes that are larger than they require to move to smaller properties, freeing up family-sized accommodation for households that need it. The initiative is supported by a team of Right-Size Housing Officers who help tenants navigate the moving process.
As of January 2026, council data showed that 529 tenants were on the housing register seeking to move because their homes were too large for their needs, while 913 tenants were seeking a move because they were living in overcrowded conditions.
At the same time, the council reported that 595 council homes were vacant. Of these, 375 were undergoing repairs to bring them back to a lettable standard, while 220 were in the process of being allocated to new tenants. Housing officers have been carrying out a programme of work since summer 2025 aimed at reducing the backlog of void properties, including changes to how repairs are managed and the introduction of a new IT system to track repair work.
The report notes that leaving properties empty for long periods can lead to significantly higher repair costs, meaning there is a financial incentive to return homes to use as quickly as possible.
The Right-Size service has been approved initially for a two-year trial period. However, councillors heard that demand for the service is already placing pressure on resources. The team of 1.6 full-time equivalent Right-Size Housing Officers is currently managing more than 100 active cases, with a further 119 referrals waiting to be addressed.
The scheme aims to support tenants through the process of downsizing by helping them register on the Nottingham HomeLink system, assisting with moving arrangements and ensuring that their new homes are ready to occupy. In some cases financial support may also be available to help with the costs of moving.
Council officers say the scheme is intended not only to make better use of housing stock but also to support tenants whose current homes may be becoming difficult to manage. Living in a larger property can increase household costs and, in some cases, lead to rent arrears if housing benefit does not fully cover rent because of spare bedrooms.
Freeing up larger homes is also intended to help address demand from families in overcrowded housing and reduce the council’s reliance on temporary accommodation for homeless households.
However, the review highlights that many of the larger properties that do become available are currently allocated to homeless households through direct offers, meaning relatively few family-sized homes are available for existing tenants who need to move because of overcrowding.
Councillors also examined how the council manages the condition of homes before they become vacant. Officers told the review that some tenants refuse access for inspections or repair work, which can lead to properties deteriorating and requiring significant work before they can be re-let.
The review emphasises the importance of early intervention where homes begin to fall into disrepair, including identifying potential vulnerabilities among tenants that may contribute to a property becoming neglected. Housing officers, estate staff and community contacts are encouraged to report concerns through an internal “eyes wide open” process designed to flag safeguarding or welfare issues.
The scrutiny committee has put forward a series of recommendations for the council to consider. These include improving communication and support for tenants waiting to downsize, exploring whether a local home-swapping tool could support the service, and collecting better data on where tenants would prefer to move within the city.
Councillors also recommend examining whether some properties becoming vacant could be adapted to meet accessibility needs for tenants seeking smaller accommodation, and ensuring a fair balance between allocating larger homes to homeless households and to existing tenants living in overcrowded conditions.
The committee will now be asked to endorse the report and its recommendations before they are submitted to the council’s Executive Member for Housing and Planning for consideration.
