A HOUSING association is withdrawing from a scheme designed to help local residents find a home for rent amid concerns over the cost of the service.

Waverley Housing, which lets around 200 properties in the region each year, has announced that it will stop advertising homes for let with Borders Choice Homes (BCH) from the end of next month.

It has decided to run its own service in house in future.

A spokesperson for the social landlord said: “Waverley Housing is withdrawing from Borders Choice Homes (BCH) as a result of an appraisal of the future costs and benefits, and in so doing we hope to gain a better understanding of the needs of our prospective tenants as well as reduce administration. “We will be bringing the letting of our properties in-house with effect from October 1 and will use our own integrated choice-based lettings system for this.” Three major landlords in the Borders - Berwickshire Housing Association, Eildon Housing Association and Waverley Housing - along with Cairn Housing Association (a national housing provider) and Scottish Borders Council introduced Borders Choice Homes using the HomeHunt allocations package to make applying for housing easier.

It allows any prospective tenants a quicker way to search for suitable and available property in their preferred area rather than having to contact each separate housing provider.

All they had to do is complete a short form and return it to any participating provider’s housing office. Properties available for rent are advertised each week at all landlords’ offices and online.

But now applicants will require to complete three separate application forms.

The spokesperson continued: “Applicants in the Borders are fairly familiar with choice-based lettings and how this works, as both BCH and Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) use this method.

“There is no restriction in registering with BCH, SBHA and Waverley Housing. It does mean that applicants require to complete three different application forms, however we are not averse to working with the other local registered social landlords towards a single application form in the future to make this part easier for applicants.

“Meantime, applicants interested in our homes will require to complete a Waverley application form to register with us. Interested applicants can get in touch with our Lettings Team on Hawick 364200, where staff will be happy to assist with information and registration or contact us via our website www.waverley-housing.co.uk”