Allocation bands
Band D – All Band D applications have been removed as of 4 September 2023 when the new Allocations Policy went live.
If you are accepted onto the housing register, you will now be placed in one of three band categories:
- Band A is for people with an extremely urgent need to move. Only about 3% of applicants are in this band. Due to the urgency, most of them are only allowed to use the bidding system for a few weeks; after that, we can make them an offer that we believe meets their needs
- Band B is for people who urgently need to move, perhaps because of a serious medical condition that is affected by their existing housing situation; again, only about 3% of applicants are in this band
- Band C is for everyone else who has housing needs that meet the council’s standards and whose need for rehousing is not so urgent - this includes less serious medical issues, people agreed as homeless and most overcrowding cases; approximately 53% of applicants are in this band.
Being accepted onto the housing register does not guarantee that you will receive an offer of accommodation. We only expect to have around 500 properties to allocate this year, which unfortunately means that many people asking for housing will not be successful.
In 2022/23, the average times that applicants in band C who were housed had been bidding for are detailed below:
|
Type and size |
Average wait |
|---|---|
|
Sheltered accommodation |
11 months |
|
Studio general needs |
23 months |
|
1-bed general needs |
2 years |
|
2-bed flat or maisonette |
6 years |
|
2-bed house |
5 years |
|
3-bed flat or maisonette |
8 years |
|
3-bed house |
12 years |
|
4-bed |
8 years |
|
5-bed |
11 years |
Only a small percentage of housing applicants will receive offers of accommodation. It is important that you keep looking for other ways of meeting your housing needs.