Service update: It is currently taking us approximately 6 to 8 weeks to process housing register applications and review supporting documents. Applications are registered in date order and urgent applications are prioritised. If you have submitted an application and you have not heard from us, please do not contact us.
If you qualify to join the housing register, we offer a choice based letting scheme which allows you to express your preference for an area and type of housing. This is called ‘bidding’ for a property. Wherever possible, these preferences will be taken into account when allocating accommodation.
However, we must make sure that our housing needs are met and we make the best use of the properties available to us. Houses available to us are owned by us, housing associations and private landlords who rent their properties to us.
We must also deliver our statutory duties under the:
Allocations criteria
We allocate the majority of properties available to us according to our housing allocations policy, which sets out:
- who can apply for housing
- how we assess and prioritise applicants for housing
- how we allocate homes
- our policy on applicant choice and preference.
View our housing allocations policy
Exceptions
Some applicants will be assigned to properties outside of our allocations policy. This occurs where there are exceptional management issues, community safety issues, or where there is a need for a specifically adapted property. Usually, these properties will not be advertised and applicants will be informed of their position.
This may also include homeless applicants who have an owed statutory duty and there is no suitable temporary accommodation available. This occurs only as a last resort.
Some homes may be subject to a local lettings plan (LLP). These plans may place certain criteria or restrictions on a property that applicants on the housing register must meet in order to rent that property.
Tenancy policy
Our tenancy policy outlines approach to tenancy management, including interventions to sustain tenancies and prevent unnecessary evictions and how we tackle tenancy fraud.