Housing Allocations Policy

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

Our  Housing Allocations Policy 2021 [6MB] explains our priorities and the framework we use to decide how to allocate social and affordable rent homes in West Berkshire. The policy was revised in 2020 and was adopted following a period of consultation with our residents and partners.

The housing register for West Berkshire works in line with the policy to make sure that the allocation process is as fair as possible. You can find out more about how we prioritise social housing applications on our Homechoice website.
 

What the policy includes

The policy sets out the principles of how the housing register operates, and how people can access social housing in the district.

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

You can view or download the policy PDF in the 'downloads' below.