Dorset | Posted on February 24th, 2025 | return to news
New tool to help people in Dorset on social housing list
The Social Housing Wait Time Calculator will inform people of their position on the social housing property list.
Waiting to find out if you will be able to get social housing can be very worrying, but now Dorset Council has launched an online tool to help people.
The Social Housing Wait Time Calculator has been designed to give people an idea of the length of time they may be waiting to secure a social housing property in a particular area based on current housing data – all at the click of a button.
Housing remains in high demand across the largely rural area, with over 6,000 people currently on the housing register.
Like many local authorities, the demand for housing in Dorset outweighs supply.
And although the council offered homes to nearly 900 households last year, with an average of 73 per month, the wait for a home can be a lengthy one.
The council has worked with residents, councillors and frontline officers to test the tool, which can be found on the Housing section of the website at https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/housing-wait-times.
Cabinet lead for Housing and Health, Cllr Gill Taylor said: “We have developed this basic calculator to give people an idea of what housing is available in parishes across the Dorset Council area, in just a few clicks, which can be accessed at any time of the day or night.
“Hopefully the website will help residents to understand how long it can take to be allocated a social housing property in their desired area, allowing them to make choices about their housing options.
“We hope residents will use the results from their search to make informed decisions once they’ve joined the Housing Register.
“The tool is part of our ongoing commitment to improving transparency and accessibility for residents who apply for social housing.”
The website is in addition to the service provided by the council’s housing officers, who can discuss individual cases and queries about the Housing Register. They can be contacted by calling 01305 221000.
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