Criteria
Additional Preference (Emergency and High Priority Applicants who have a substantive and long standing local connection.)
Examples
Medical emergency, moves to allow major repairs; modernisation or redevelopment; existing tenants moving to smaller home and giving up 2 or more bedrooms; making the best use of our adapted properties and agreed management transfers and where exceptional circumstances exist.
Criteria
High Preference (Applicants with an urgent need to move who have a substantive and long standing local connection.)
Existing tenants moving to smaller and giving up one bedroom; overcrowding by 2 or more bedrooms; medical hardship; eligible tied households needing to vacate; move on from certain supported housing projects and young people leaving care where rehousing has been agreed.
Criteria
Normal Preference (applicants with an identified housing need to whom the Council is required to give reasonable preference as defined by the Housing Act 1996 Part VI (as amended by the 2002 Homelessness Act) and who have a local connection, or where there is a more limited local connection but an agreement exists with a partner agency to provide move on accommodation.)
Examples
Living in private rented housing; priority homeless households in temporary accommodation; sharing facilities, living in unsanitary or other unsatisfactory housing conditions; overcrowding; single tenants who have lived in a bed-sit or studio flat for at least 2 years; move on from other supported housing projects; applicants of no fixed abode, who are engaging with services; tied households where there is no requirement to vacate and elderly people approved for sheltered housing.
Criteria
Reasonable Preference with a lower priority and or a limited local connection (Applicants with a local connection or who live or work permanently in the borough of Guildford who have either a low level of housing need or where no agreement exists for move on or it is not appropriate.)
Examples
Applicants who have a reasonable preference as defined by the Housing Act 1996 Part VI (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) who live or work permanently in the Borough of Guildford. Residents of other local supported housing projects with a local connection of less than 3 years where there is no agreement to move on; applicants of no fixed abode who are not engaging with services.
Criteria
All other cases (to include applicants who have a reasonable preference as defined by the Housing Act 1996 Part VI (as amended by the 2002 Homelessness Act) who do not live or work in the borough of Guildford and anyone who does not qualify for bands A to D.)
Examples
Applicants will be placed in this band until all necessary information has been provided and their circumstances have been verified.
Applicants who have a reasonable preference as defined by the Housing Act 1996 Part VI (as amended by the 2002 Homelessness Act) who do not live or work in the Borough of Guildford including tenants from outside the Borough with a reasonable preference. Applicants assessed as intentionally homeless will remain in this band for a period of 12 months. Social housing tenants in breach of tenancy for 12 months after the breach has been cleared. Demoted applicants due to behaviour or deliberately worsening their circumstances to gain more priority on the housing register. Anyone who does not qualify for Bands A to D
Within each band applications will be placed in date order, with the application with the oldest date having the highest priority. The date that is normally used is the date your application was registered with us.
If your circumstances change and you move up a band the date used will normally be the date you moved into that band. If you move down a band the date used will normally be the date that you were previously in that band or a higher band.
If your application is placed in Band A or Band B there is a limit on the length of time you can remain in these bands. For Band A this is 3 months and for Band B it is 6 months. At the end of the time allowed your application will be reviewed and the time extended or priority reduced. There are a few exceptions to this rule where it is unlikely that suitable housing will become available within the timescale.
In exceptional cases where you can demonstrate that you have a wide range of needs that when considered together are so severe as to warrant higher priority, your application may be given additional preference and moved to a higher band.
The size of property you will be offered depends on the number and age of the people who are on your application. To see how many bedrooms you qualify for please click on Bedroom Matrix.
To be eligible for Bands A and B you must have substantive and long-standing local connection through 5 years continuous settled residence in the Borough. If you do not meet this criteria when you initially make your application you may meet this criteria during the life of your application.
To be eligible for Bands C and D you must meet one of following criteria:
If you have the financial means to purchase a property suitable for your needs or to put right problems with your current home you will normally be placed in Band E. You may, however, qualify for shared ownership properties. Click Shared Ownership for more information about this type of housing.
If there is evidence that you have deliberately worsened your circumstances in order to qualify for higher priority under the scheme no additional priority will be given.