If we accept you onto the housing register, we will assess your priority for social rented housing according to our allocations policy. We will put your application into one of five bandings which measures your housing needs against a range of priorities.
In some cases a Housing Needs Officer may have to visit you to confirm your current situation.
The current bandings are:
Band A+ - Emergency or urgent priority
Band A - Very High Priority
Band B - High Priority
Band C - Medium Priority
Band D - Low Priority
It is fair to say that if your application is assessed as either Band C or Band D it is unlikely that you will be offered council or housing association accommodation in the near future.
We will work out which banding to put your application into based on the information you tell us. The housing allocations scheme sets out how your banding will be worked out.
Once we have awarded a banding to your application we will also tell you your priority housing date. This is either the date your joined the register or the date your circumstances changed and your application was put into another banding.
When applicants are being considered for accommodation through the lettings scheme, the person with the highest banding (band A+) and with the earliest priority housing date will usually be considered first.
If your application is placed into Band A+ there is a limit on the length of time you can remain in this band. This is thre months. At the end of the time allowed your application will be reviewed and your priority may be reduced.
The following quotas will apply to all allocations of social housing under the Choice Based Lettings scheme:
Band A+ and Band A - up to 80% (applicants will be prioritised by Band and within each Band by priority housing date order)
Band B, C and D - up to 20% (applicants will be prioritised by Band and within each Band by priority housing date order)
Full details can be found in the Housing Allocations Scheme.
The Council has made several amendments to the Housing Allocation Scheme to ensure it continues to assist those in the greatest need for social rented housing. The changes came into effect on 6th November 2017 and are refelcted in the updated Housing Allocations Scheme.
You should be aware that it is a criminal offence if you either knowingly or recklessly make a statement which is false or withhold information which is relevant to the assessment of your application.
The Council will continue to check the details of your application even though it has already been approved. If the Council’s enquiries at any time disclose that you have committed such an offence, it will consider bringing a prosecution against you. The penalty for such an offence if you are found guilty is a fine up to £5,000. You will also be automatically disqualified from the housing register.