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Tel 01865 249811
Email customerservices@oxford.gov.uk
Web http://www.oxford.gov.uk/

Housing

Choice Based Lettings Priority Bands

New Bands system?

We have a new bands system as from 27 July 2009 when Oxfordshire Homechoice, the new Oxfordshire-wide choice based lettings scheme was introduced.

To ensure applicants from each participating District have their housing need prioritised in the same way, the Oxfordshire Homechoice partnership has agreed a common banding "priority scheme" and each District has changed their Allocations Policy to adopt this new scheme.

The Priority Bands range from Band 1 (Highest Housing Need) to Band 5 (Lowest Housing Need).

What are the bands?

The details below are only intended as a guide. For further details please see the Allocation Scheme document below. If you need further advice you can contact the Housing Needs Team.

Allocation Scheme (kB PDF)

Band 1
Who qualifies?
  • Exceptional circumstances, where there is an immediate risk to health and safety, complex needs, 'place of safety' cases or other emergency needs.
  • Council or housing association tenants in the sub-region under-occupying by two or more bedrooms.
  • Decants and other housing management moves.
  • Successor tenants who need to move to a more suitable property.
  • A Prohibition/demolition notice has been issued by the Environmental Health department.
  • Households where the level of overcrowding exceeds the statutory limit.
Band 2
Who qualifies?
  • Urgent social or welfare needs.
  • Urgent health or disability needs.
  • Council or housing association tenants in the sub-region under-occupying by one bedroom.
  • Applicants who have been assessed as ready to move on from supported accommodation.
  • Applicants found to be homeless, in a priority need group and a duty to offer housing has been accepted.
  • Families assessed as being 2 or more bedrooms short of their needs.
  • Any applicant with two or more compoundable categories in Band 3.
Band 3
Who qualifies?
  • Significant social or welfare needs.
  • Significant health or disability needs.
  • Applicants living in unsatisfactory housing: Level 1.
  • Families assessed as being one bedroom short of their needs.
  • Insecure tied accommodation.
  • Insecure private rented accommodation.
  • Homeless and not in a priority group. (This category is not compoundable)
  • Any applicant who qualifies for at least two categories in Band 4.
Band 4
Who qualifies?
  • Moderate social or welfare needs.
  • Moderate health or disability needs.
  • Applicants living in unsatisfactory housing: Level 2.
Band 5
Who qualifies?
  • Applicants who are adequately housed.
  • Applicants who have sufficient income or other financial resources.
  • Nil priority (Applicants who are the subject of sanctions because of their behaviour).

Anything else I should know?

Some applicants can have compound needs. This is where an applicant meets more than one of the categories in a band. To show that they have a greater need than someone who only meets one category they may be able to jump up by one band.

Other applicants may have complex needs that can't easily be reflected by the bands. In these cases a band can be awarded by the Exceptional Circumstances Panel (ECP) or the Health and Housing Assessment Panel (HAHA panel). This only happens for very special cases and we will need to see evidence.

 

Page last reviewed 16 Jul 2009

Housing Needs Team

St Aldate's Chambers

109 St Aldate's

Oxford

OX1 1DS

01865 252858


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