Housing allocations policy - Applicants occupying unsanitary, overcrowded or other unsatisfactory housing conditions
Section C3
3.1
Circumstances when reasonable preference will be awarded
Applicants will be awarded reasonable preference in the following circumstances:
- a) Households’ resident in properties subject to a Demolition or Compulsory Purchase Order. These households will qualify for Priority Band B. 17
- b) Households living in overcrowded conditions and whose housing circumstances have been assessed as being two bedrooms short of what they need. These households will qualify for Priority Band B
- c) Households living in overcrowded conditions and whose housing circumstances have been assessed as being one bedroom short of what they need. These households will qualify for Priority Band C.
3.2
For the purposes of assessing overcrowding this policy will adhere to the Bedroom Standard and will allocate a separate bedroom to:
- a person living together with another as husband and wife (whether that other person is of the same sex or the opposite sex)
- a person aged 21 years or more
- two persons of the same sex aged 10 years to 20 years
- two persons (whether of the same sex or not) aged less than 10 years
- two persons of the same sex where one person is aged between 10 years and 20 years and the other is aged less than 10 years
- any person aged under 21 years in any case where he or she cannot be paired with another occupier of the dwelling
- 28+ weeks pregnant woman with or without partner and no other children
For ease of reference, the table below shows the bedroom entitlement for adults and children according to the bedroom standard:
| Household members | Number of bedrooms |
|---|---|
| Single adults over 21 | 1 |
| Couple (married or cohabiting) wishing to live together | 1 |
| 28+ weeks pregnant woman with or without partner and no other children | 2 |
| One child | 1 |
| 2 children under 10 regardless of sex | 1 |
| 2 children of the same sex aged between 10 and 21 | 1 |
| 2 children of different sexes aged between 10 and 21 | 2 |
Please note the following:
- a) Applicants who deliberately worsen their circumstances may have their level of priority reduced or can be disqualified from the housing register
- b) Generally, children will only be included in the overcrowding calculation at their main place of residence. This is identified by the address of the household member in receipt of the relevant child benefit.
- c) Subject to all the suitability requirements set out in this policy, all household members aged 18 or above and currently resident in properties to which the overcrowding priority set out in this policy applies will be considered for properties using this priority. For example, a single person or couple living in a property can move using this priority if it relieves the current household’s overcrowding situation. Following such a move the remaining household still in situ will have their overcrowding priority reassessed
3.3
Circumstances when additional preference (Band A) will be awarded
Customers will be awarded additional preference in the following circumstances:
- a) Households living in conditions which give rise to an imminent risk of serious harm and where the Council has served a Prohibition Order under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004.
- b) Where an officer from the Council has determined that a private sector property (tenanted) contains one or more serious Category 1 hazards as defined by the Housing Health & Safety Rating System that are having a severe impact on the household and that cannot be easily rectified.
- c) Where there is a significant risk to the health and well-being of the occupant(s), and where there is no prospect of the issues being remedied in a period of time that the Council’s Housing Standards Team considers reasonable.
- d) Applicants ascertained by the Housing Standards Team as having no access at all to any of the following facilities:
- a bathroom or kitchen
- an inside WC
- hot or cold-water supplies, electricity, gas or adequate heating
Applicants who have access to shared facilities in shared accommodation will not qualify under the criteria set out above nor will households involved in refurbishment programmes.
- e) Demolition or Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). Where the applicant’s property is subject to demolition or subject to a CPO for redevelopment and where the said household is particularly vulnerable, e.g. being surrounded by voids and therefore isolated
3.4
For tenants of a Housing Association (HA) or local authority (LA) the imminent risk of harm will be assessed taking into account the responsibility on that landlord to resolve the problem or to transfer the tenant immediately. Therefore, only in exceptional cases, e.g. where it would be unreasonable or impossible for the HA or LA landlord to resolve the risk of imminent harm, will additional preference be awarded.