Housing allocations policy

This document sets out Buckinghamshire Council’s (the council) approach to allocating social housing homes in Buckinghamshire in accordance with Section 166(A) of the Housing Act 1996 which requires every local housing authority in England to have an allocation scheme for determining priorities (and the procedure to be followed) in allocating housing accommodation.

Bucks Home Choice is the scheme that is used to allocate affordable housing in the Buckinghamshire Council local housing authority area.

As the demand for affordable housing exceeds availability, Bucks Home Choice prioritises applicants so properties that become available are offered fairly and transparently. This document describes the policy in detail including who qualifies to apply for housing and how we give priority to different applicants based on their housing need.

Bucks Home Choice operates on the following basis:

• Applicants register with the scheme
• Applicants are prioritised for re-housing based on their circumstances
• Available properties will be advertised
• Applicants can bid on properties they qualify to move to
• Bids on a property will be shortlisted in priority order
• The property will be offered in accordance with section 6 of the policy.

The scheme applies to all properties in the Buckinghamshire Council local housing authority area that are owned and/or managed by a Registered Provider and the Council has the right to nominate to.

The Allocations Scheme is subject to a local connection criteria linked to the Buckinghamshire Council local housing authority area (see Section 2.3.3).

The terms “Senior Housing Officer” and “Senior Officer” are used in this policy for ease of reference only. The exact titles of the officers within the Council will vary and may be subject to change from time to time. The Council will have designated officers responsible for the operation of the Bucks Home Choice Scheme and Allocation Policy and details of these officers are available on request.

The Council will provide advice and information to help applicants to make the most of Bucks Home Choice to meet their housing needs. This will include:

• How to apply to join the Housing Register and what supporting information applicants will be required to provide.
• Help to fill in the housing registration form (by prior appointment).
• The meaning of the priority bands and how this affects the time individual applicants are likely to have to wait.
• Advice on how to bid on a property, and how to obtain help to bid.
• Advice on other options for housing such as private renting or shared ownership.

Where an applicant is assessed as being a non-qualifying person, the applicant will be given advice and information on the other housing options open to them.

• How applicants can apply to the Bucks Home Choice scheme
• Who is a qualifying person to join Bucks Home Choice
• Who is eligible to join Bucks Home Choice
• How an applicants’ priority is assessed
• How members of the Council will determine priorities in allocating housing accommodation
• How properties are advertised and let
• How applicants can ask for a review of a decision
• How the policy will be monitored and reviewed
• How the Council will comply with the Data Protection Act.

This policy does not cover offers of licences, non-secure, or assured shorthold tenancies granted to homeless households in pursuance of the Council’s homelessness duties under Part 7 of the 1996 Act. This policy does not cover offers of tenancies excluded from an allocation scheme by virtue of S.159 (4A) and s.160 of the 1996 Act.

This policy is available on the council’s website; www.buckshomechoice.org.uk; or applicants can request for a copy of the policy to be sent to them.

The aims of the scheme are:

• a) To meet the Council’s statutory requirements and ensure that priority for housing is given to those with the highest level of housing need.
• b) To give applicants as much choice as possible having regard to the statutory requirements and the availability of housing stock.
• c) To facilitate mobility across the Buckinghamshire Council local authority area.
• d) To help and encourage sustainable communities.
• e) To make the best possible use of all available housing stock.
• f) To allocate housing resources in a way that is as fair as possible.
• g) To make the process of allocating tenancies as open and transparent as possible.

The scheme is also committed to:

• a) Preventing households from becoming homeless.
• b) Providing applicants with sufficient information to enable them to make the right choices about where they wish to live.
• c) Providing applicants with information on a variety of housing options to enable them to make informed decisions about their housing application.
• d) Ensuring that vulnerable people are able to make the most of Bucks Home Choice to meet their housing needs.
• e) Acting sensitively and treating all personal information as confidential.
• f) Ensuring customers are advised of their right to a review of decisions.

This policy has been drafted in compliance with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and it has been subject to an Equalities Impact Assessment. Applicants will be asked to complete an equality monitoring questionnaire. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

The Local Authority has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, which commits Buckinghamshire Council to recognising the unique sacrifices that members of the armed forces community make and ensuring that they are not disadvantaged when accessing council services. It also recognises that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, particularly for those who have sacrificed the most, such as the injured or bereaved.

The Armed Forces Act 2021 and Armed Forces Covenant legal duty introduced in 2022 place a statutory duty on local authorities to pay due regard to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant when exercising various functions, including housing.

The council will make an exception to the local connection requirements and give additional preference for people who:

• Are serving in the armed forces or who have served in the armed forces at any time preceding the application
• Have recently left Ministry of Defence accommodation because of divorce, separation, or the death of a spouse, who served in the regular forces
• Are serving or have previously served in the reserve forces and are suffering from a serious injury as a result of this service

This policy has been drafted to give due regard to the requirement to give Reasonable Preference to those categories of person set out in section 166A (3) of the Housing Act 1996. Further information about legislation and statutory guidance used in framing this policy can be found at section 7.7.