Hartlepool Homesearch Scandal: More Transparency Concerns as Months of “Shortlisting” Raise Questions..
- teessidetoday
- Nov 18
- 4 min read
The Teesside & Durham Post, as part of its investigation into the now Discredited Choice Based lettings Scheme "Hartlepool Homesearch" has unearthed huge transparency issues in the clearly 'broken' housing scheme which officials seem all too keen to sweep under the carpet.
18th November 2025
Fresh concerns have once again been raised over the transparency of a now Discredited Hartlepool Choice Based lettings Scheme being run by Hartlepool Borough Council, as new data reveals a pattern of properties remaining marked as “shortlisting still being processed” months after they've been advertised — despite many clearly having been allocated and let long ago.
This latest issue follows our Hartlepool Homesearch Scandal Investigation, where residents overwhelmingly criticised the council-run scheme for its failure to provide even the most basic transparency about who is awarded a property, what banding they were in, and how long successful applicants had been on the list. Instead of improving, the data now shows the opposite: the system has become even less transparent.
A deep dive into the publicly visible Hartlepool Homesearch listings from May to November 2025 reveals a glaring inconsistency. While some properties are being correctly marked as “let,” the majority across several months remain trapped in a state of limbo — suggesting officers are either simply not updating the system, or withholding information on who those properties have been let out to...
A Month-by-Month Breakdown of the Transparency Problem
November 2025
13 properties were advertised.
1 was marked as let.
12 — virtually the entire list — are still marked as shortlisting being processed. This is despite many of these advertisements now being over a month old.
October 2025
50 properties were advertised.
6 were marked as let.
44 still claimed to be in shortlisting, despite being two months old.
September 2025
48 properties were advertised.
17 marked as let.
31 supposedly still being processed. Three months later, no updates. No explanations.
August 2025
41 properties were advertised.
29 marked as let.
12 still showing in processing.
July 2025
40 properties were advertised.
25 listed as let.
2 withdrawn.
1 incorrectly advertised.
1 converted into a “direct let” by the landlord. That leaves 13 with no update at all — still marked as shortlisting in progress despite being five months old.
June 2025
46 properties were advertised.
37 marked as let.
9 still stuck in “processing”.
May 2025
49 properties were advertised.
35 marked as let.
1 withdrawn as a new-build not ready until September.
13 still showing shortlist being processed.
A Pattern Simply Impossible to Ignore
Across seven months of listings, the same issue continues to repeat: a large proportion of properties remain listed as if officers are still processing applications many months later. Anyone familiar with the housing allocations process knows this simply isn’t plausible.
The only realistic explanation is that the system is not being properly managed & updated, with the numerous inaccuracies not a minor administrative oversight — btu further evidence that the scheme is seriously not fit for purpose, especially when applicants cannot see:
which properties have been let,
what banding the successful applicant was in,
how long they waited,
or whether properties are even being allocated correctly,
The flaws in the scheme has led to even more claims that the Housing Allocations Scheme being operated by Hartlepool Borough Councils is becoming ever more opaque, unaccountable, and more importantly, open to suspicion.
These transparency failures are even more troubling given wider concerns residents have raised about potential favoritism being handed out by the scheme to certain applicants, with seemingly inconsistent banding decisions, and the perception that local applicants, sometimes waiting years to be housed are being pushed aside.
Something has to be done !
Hartlepool is in the middle of a social housing allocations crisis. A crisis that is of such that the scheme needs to be taken out of the hands of Hartlepool Borough Council & put into the hands of an Independent body to ensure both fairness & transparency.
Demand for social housing has exploded. Local families are stuck in temporary accommodation. Disabled residents report being left without the priority banding they clearly qualify for. London councils continue relocating their homeless into Hartlepool, stretching supply even further.
When the council fails to update allocations, fails to publish simple data, and fails to be open and transparent about how housing allocations are being made, confidence in the scheme simply collapses, & that is now evident in the flaws being unearthed in the scheme time after time...
The Teesside & Durham Post are set to present our report into the Hartlepool Homesearch Scandal outlining our concerns about the operation of the failed scheme to the Secretary of State for Housing & Local Government, asking for the scheme be taken out of the hands of Hartlepool Borough Council.
Read our full report into the Hartlepool Homesearch Scandal Here...
