Housing Allocations Policy

There are large numbers of people looking for accommodation in West Berkshire, and we can only offer practical help to a very limited number of households.    

Our  Housing Allocations Policy 2021 [6MB] explains the framework that we use to decide how to allocate our social and affordable rent homes in West Berkshire, and what our priorities are in doing so. 

Homechoice is the housing register for West Berkshire, which works in line with the policy to make sure that the allocation process is as fair as possible. This policy was revised in 2020 and was adopted following a period of consultation with our residents and partners.
 

What is in the Housing Allocations Policy?

The Housing Allocations Policy sets out the principles of how the Housing Register operates, and how social housing in the district is accessed. 

Key elements include:

• who is eligible to apply to be on the Housing Register (these rules are set nationally and cover things like immigration status) 
• who qualifies to be on the Housing Register (we set these rules locally - they include things like how much someone earns, or how long they have lived in West Berkshire)
• how applications will be assessed for people in housing need
• details on the new banding scheme and the criteria for Bands A to D
• how the bidding process works for available properties
• the reasons that someone's application could be deferred, suspended, cancelled or removed from the Housing Register
• how applicants can request a review of a decision relating to their application
• details of how an applicant can make a complaint