Housing allocations policy

Properties will be advertised weekly on the Bucks Home Choice website. The Council may choose to vary the timing of the cycle for advertising properties.

Each property advert will have information on the location, size and type of property and any criteria that applicants must satisfy in order to be eligible for shortlisting.

Some properties may have letting restrictions for example no pets or age restrictions.

Priority for family sized accommodation of two bedrooms or more with access to a garden may be given to households with children under the age of 16 unless medical evidence of the need for a property with a garden exists.

Properties that have two reception rooms may be considered as having an additional bedroom to assist where necessary with housing larger families where larger accommodation is not available.

Any restrictions will be explained in the advert and applicants who do not meet the criteria will not be nominated for the property.

Where a property has been advertised for three advertising cycles and the property has received no appropriate bids, the Council reserves the right to consider allocation of the property to people outside of the Bucks Home Choice scheme.

In order to make the best use of the available housing stock, it is essential to let properties to those who need that size and type of property to:

• Avoid creating overcrowding or under-occupation when letting a property
• House families with children under the age of 16 into properties with gardens.
• Minimise the risk of the applicant being unable to afford rent payments on the property that is being let
• Prioritise large families with four or more children for properties with two reception rooms

When deciding the size and type of property that an applicant is entitled to bid for, the Bedroom Standard will normally be used as 1 bedroom for each of the following:

a) Adult or adult couple

b) Two children of the same sex aged under 18

c) Two children of different sexes when the eldest is aged under 10

d) Any other child

More information is available in Appendix 2.

In exceptional circumstances the Senior Housing Officer may exercise discretion in deviating from the Bedroom Standard. In all cases applicants will need to demonstrate the property is affordable at the time of offer. Examples are:

• Where applicants require larger accommodation on health grounds, the Senior Housing Officer will consider this on a case-by-case basis, considering the advice of a qualified medical advisor appointed by the Council.
• Where there is little or no demand for a particular property.
• Where the applicant has been approved as a foster carer by Buckinghamshire Council and will need a larger property than normally required by the household.
• Where the applicant or a member of the household needs the support of a 24-hour carer who will need to sleep in the home and cannot reasonably be expected to share a bedroom with another member of the household. (See section 3.2.1).
• Where an applicant is under-occupying a social housing property and would be willing to relocate to a social housing property with a reduced number of bedrooms but would continue to deviate from the Bedroom Standard. For example, a single applicant occupying a social housing property with three bedrooms that is willing to relocate to a property with two bedrooms. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, on the facts of the case and with the expectation that most applicants downsizing would move to a property of the correct bedroom standard for their need, unless there are exceptional circumstances to deviate from the normal bedroom standard agreed by a Senior Officer.

An applicant will only be able to bid for a property that is advertised as being available to Bucks Home Choice applicants who require the size and type of property concerned.

Applicants may bid on up to three properties for which they are entitled in any one advertising cycle, this can be done:

• On the Bucks Home Choice website
• In person at one of the Council’s Customer Access Points
• Telephone bidding by contacting the Councils customer service team

Applicants who find it difficult to bid may ask an advocate or support worker to do so on their behalf. Help will also be available via the Council and special arrangements will be made for vulnerable applicants who are unable to bid without help.

It is not possible for an applicant to view a property before making a bid.

An application may be set to automatic bidding, in which the choice-based lettings system would place bids on advertised properties that match the applicants’ requirements. For example, the applicant’s bedroom need, type of property and floor level requirements would be considered in the automatic bidding process.

Automatic bidding will be implemented for applicants in a homelessness duty group who are not actively engaged in the bidding process on Bucks Home Choice. These are applicants who are not utilising their three bids each week to bid on properties that meet their household needs.

Automatic bidding can be requested by applicants who are unable to bid on advertised properties themselves, or with assistance from a representative.