Allocation summary - Wyre Forest

Wyre Forest District Council Allocation Policy (Summary)

Wyre Forest Home Choice is the system used to advertise and let social housing properties in Wyre Forest. It is also the system we use to register people’s housing and homeless applications. By registering on this system you can bid on advertised properties that you are eligible for. Wyre Forest District Council (WFDC) must have a published Housing Allocation Policy and ours is on our website (www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk). This document is a summary of the policy.

Who is eligible to join the Housing Register

You must be over 16, have valid immigration status, a local connection to WFDC unless you have a Reasonable Preference for housing as set out in the Housing Act 1996 and have a housing need (unless exempt). You may be exempt from the requirement to have a local connection if you are a member of the armed forces, a care leaver, or have fled domestic abuse – please see the full policy for exemptions and further details.

How to apply

Complete the online housing registration process including submitting the relevant evidence and documents when requested to do so, otherwise your application process won’t be complete. If you have difficulties completing the form online you may be able to get help from a family member, organisation or via the Customer Services Hub at the Council.
If your application is eligible and all the information requested is supplied, the Council will be able to verify your application and award the relevant banding. You will receive confirmation of this via the customer portal.
If your circumstances change such as you change address or have a baby, you must update us straightaway. If you don’t then you may not be eligible for properties, you bid for and may be removed from the register. This is because changes in circumstances can have an impact on your banding and waiting time.
All available social properties are advertised through Wyre Forest Home Choice and you can place up to three suitable bids a week.
Properties are offered to the household at the top of the register in band and date order e.g. the highest band that has been waiting the longest time will be first. The landlord will contact you and verify the information you have provided. They are likely to want a reference from your current or last landlord and will do an affordability check to make sure you can pay your rent.
You will also need to have money to provide a deposit in advance (this may be four weeks rent in advance) and resources to buy carpets or flooring, curtains and furniture as the properties will come unfurnished. Social landlords have minimum letting standards but this doesn’t relate to decorations. Where the decoration is particularly poor the social landlord may provide a decoration voucher.
Some social landlords will arrange for you to view the property and you will need to be ready to decide and move home quickly, often with only a few days’ notice before you need to start your new tenancy. If the person at the top of the list refuses the property or is not suitable, then the landlord will offer it to the next highest on the list.
Homeless households are only entitled to one suitable offer of accommodation and therefore must consider the offer made very carefully and seek advice from the Housing Advice Team if they are considering refusing the property. Other applicants of the housing register may have their banding reduced if they refuse suitable offers of accommodation.

Banding on Wyre Forest Home Choice

Your housing application is assessed against banding criteria in our Allocations Policy and this is outlined below.

Band A (3 month time limit)

Applicants who are statutorily homeless with a duty to re-house under s193 of Housing Act 1996 (eligible, homeless, priority need, not intentional and with a local connection).

Applicants owed the relief duty who are likely to be accepted as statutorily homeless with a duty to rehouse under the above Act.

Band B (6 months time limit)

Homeless cases where no statutory duty to re-house (excludes intentional homeless)
Occupying property in a serious state of disrepair; factors taken into consideration by the Local Authority or its agent include where the Local Authority could have served an improvement notice for a Category 1 hazard or equivalent (not for overcrowding and space hazards)
Verified high medical need / disability that is directly affected by the current housing situation and would be immediately improved by moving.
Applicant is homeless or threatened with homelessness, through no fault of their own (excludes those in priority band)
Applicant is homeless or threatened with homelessness under the HRA 2017 (Prevention and Relief)
Requiring move-on from supported accommodation
Tenants who are under-occupying social rent or affordable rent housing in the Wyre Forest Home Choice area
Tenants who are occupying a social housing property in the Wyre Forest Home Choice area with major adaptations that they do not need.
Households suffering with serious overcrowding (3 or more bedrooms lacking)
Two or more criteria in Band C

Band C (12 months time limit)

Households who have been determined to have become homeless intentionally.
Households suffering from harassment (excludes priority band cases)
Overcrowding or lacking up to and including 2 bedrooms
Living in exceptional circumstances
Households with children under 10 years old and living in flat with no access to a private garden.

Households suffering with some disrepair in their property

Band B (No local connection verified) (6 months time limit)

Homeless cases where there is no statutory duty to re-house (excludes intentional homeless and those in a priority band)
Homeless cases accepted for a full rehousing duty by the Local Authority (but not the LA that accepted the duty)
Properties in a serious state of disrepair; factors taken into consideration by the Local Authority or its agent include where the Local Authority could have served an improvement notice for a Category 1 hazard or equivalent (not for overcrowding and space hazards)
Verified high medical need / disability that is directly affected by the current housing situation and would be immediately improved by moving.
Applicant is homeless or threatened with homelessness, through no fault of their own.
Applicant is homeless or threatened with homelessness under the HRA 2017 (Prevention and Relief)
Applicant requires move-on from supported accommodation.
Tenants who are under-occupying social rent or affordable rent housing in the Wyre Forest Home Choice area
Tenants who are occupying a social housing property in the Wyre Forest Home Choice area with major adaptations that they do not need.
Households suffering with serious overcrowding (3 or more bedrooms lacking)
Two or more criteria in Band C (Local Connection Not Verified)

Band C (No local connection verified) (12 months time limit)

Households who have been determined to have become homeless Intentionally.
Households suffering from harassment (excludes priority band cases)
Overcrowding or lacking up to and including 2 bedrooms
Living in exceptional circumstances
Households with children under 10 years old and living in upstairs flat.

Households suffering with some disrepair in their property

Band D (with reasonable preference)

Households with financial resources above defined limits
Households who have deliberately worsened their circumstances to qualify for a higher banding
Households with housing-related debts
Households who have committed acts of anti-social behaviour and other tenancy breaches but not severe enough to have obtained outright possession.
Households who aren’t bidding for properties that are available and suitable for their needs or successfully bid but then refuse properties that are suitable for their needs

Band E (12 month time limit)

Households who do not meet any of the above reasonable preference criteria and with a local connection, and who may have a low housing need including;

· Eligible and interested in shared ownership

· Eligible and interested in older people’s accommodation

· Households with low level medical or welfare issues

· Households that are newly forming

· Households who are suffering financial hardship

· Households who are sharing facilities with other non-related households

· Households residing in an institution or supported housing scheme e.g. hospital with no access to settled accommodation.

· Households who have insecurity of tenure (those in tied accommodation or lodging with family members)

· In social housing and seeking a transfer

Band E (no local connection verified) (12 month time limit)

Households who do not meet any of the above reasonable preference criteria and without a local connection, and who may have low housing need (please see Band E above)

Additional Preference

The Council will give additional waiting time to those who are working, volunteering, served in the armed forces or caring in recognition of their service to the community. People with disabilities that would exclude them from these roles can also receive this additional time. For full details of the community contribution please see the Council’s full allocations policy.

Banding Review and Removal from the Housing Register

The Council will review your banding in line with the time limits shown for each band. If your circumstances have changed or you haven’t bid on suitable properties your banding may get reduced. If you don’t bid within one year or we become aware that you have moved we will cancel your housing application.

False statements and withholding information

It is a criminal offence to knowingly or recklessly make false statements or knowingly withhold reasonably requested information relevant to an application (s.171 Housing Act 1996). This includes but is not limited to:

Information requested on the housing registration form or in response to correspondence at the review of the application
Any information relating to any other reassessment of the application
Information provided by third parties

Data protection and privacy information

Please see the Home Choice website for the privacy notice and information about who we share your personal data with. We will share data with others to assist the council in housing applicants and you can request that we remove your data and cancel your application from the system.