All housing and transfer applications received for rented accommodation will be assessed and placed in one of 5 bands, A to E. The table below sets out the banding scheme and gives examples of those applicants who would be eligible to be placed in each band. For full details please click Housing Allocation Scheme to download our policy document.
| Band | Criteria | Examples |
| Band A | Emergency and high priority | Medical emergency, move to allow major repairs, modernisation or redevelopment, moving to smaller home and giving up 2 or more bedrooms, making best use of our adapted properties, moving on from some supported housing projects and agreed management transfers and where exceptional circumstances exist. |
| Band B | Urgent need to move | Tied households needing to vacate, moving to smaller and giving up one bedroom, young people leaving care where rehousing has been agreed, overcrowding by 2 or more bedrooms, move on from some supported housing projects and medical hardship. |
| Band C | Identified housing need | Living in private rented, most 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 some 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. |
| Band D | Low housing need | Other homeless households with a local connection, supported housing projects where there is no agreement to move on and applicants of no fixed abode who are not engaging with services. Transfer applicants who have child/ren under 16 and are considered to be adequately housed but occupy a flat or maisonette. |
| Band E | All other applicants or no local connection | Other homeless households without a local connection, council and housing association tenants who are adequately housed, tenants from outside the Borough and applicants with sufficient financial resources to meet their own housing needs. |
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.
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.