Aberdeen city council has rebranded its housing service in an ambitious bid to shift perceptions of council housing among tenants and would-be tenants.
Goodapple Homes, as it is now called, will use slick graphics to market homes to groups including young families and older people considering sheltered housing.

It aims to demystify the process of applying for a council property and promote choice and availablity.

The council took the step because applications for council homes were falling even though housing need in Aberdeen was relatively high.

It also had 1300 voids out of a 25,000 stock, although a peer study by officials from other housing departments gave Aberdeen's homes a top rating for quality.

Rab Hepburn, Aberdeen's head of accommodation policy, said: "On the TV and in the press, people are bombarded with information about owner-occupation. It's not the same for council houses."

The brand was unveiled on Wednesday at the annual conference of the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland. The brand was designed by Edinburgh-based Design Links. The name was suggested in a tenant focus group meeting.

The council plans to start an incentive-based housing management system later this year, based on ideas used by Irwell Valley Housing Association in Manchester.

Source

Housing Today