Housing allocations policy - Adjustments to housing need priority

Where an applicant’s circumstances change the Council will review the degree of housing priority given to the applicant. On occasions where an applicant’s housing priority changes resulting in their application moving up or down the priority bandings, the following will apply: 

• a) Moving up a band: The date the higher priority band was awarded will act as the date used in the short-listing process 
• b) Moving down a band: The date on the original application will be the date used in the short-listing process

Under Section 167(2A) of the Housing Act 1996, the Council reserves the right to reduce any housing priority awarded within this policy: 

1. Where any behaviour of the applicant (or a member of his household) affects his suitability to be a tenant. Bad behaviour would include unacceptable behaviour which was not serious enough to justify a decision to exclude or remove the applicant from the register, but which could be taken into account in assessing the level of priority to be awarded. An example of such behaviour could be low level anti-social behaviour to which there is no immediate threat. 
2. Where there is evidence that an applicant has acted unreasonably in order to gain a higher priority within the register.

The Council reserves the right to review an applicant’s priority banding and assess the current relevance of that priority to their housing need and circumstances.

Households involved in the above process have a Right to a Review (See Section F/2)