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Prioritising Applications

The Council uses a banding system to prioritise applications.

All housing and transfer applications received will be assessed and, if eligible, placed in one of four bands. The table below sets out the banding system and details the criteria for each band.

 

 Band  Criteria  Examples
Band A Urgent Need

Homeless applicants with a full duty in short term temporary accommodation provided by Castle Point Council; Homeless applicants granted a ‘relief duty’ where a priority need and unintentionality has been identified; Lacking 3 or more bedrooms and acute overcrowding; Under-occupation; Decant of existing accommodation; High medical assessment; High welfare or hardship assessment; Young people leaving care; people moving on from supported housing projects.

Band B High Need

Homeless applicants in suitable long tern temporary accommodation provided by Castle Point Borough Council; Homeless applicants with granted a ‘Prevention Duty’ where priority need, and unintentionality has been identified by the case officer; Lacking 2 bedrooms; Medium medical assessment; Work related reasons.

Band C Moderate Need

Homeless applicants pending enquiries; Homeless applicants (non-priority); Low medical assessment; Low welfare or hardship assessment; sharing facilities with non-family members; Lacking 1 bedroom. Existing tenants in general needs housing, accepted for sheltered housing.

Band D Purely exist for Sheltered Housing applicants Sheltered housing applicants, adequately housed, sufficient income, savings over £16,000.
Band E * Emergency Status

Urgent move required to ensure immediate safety and welfare and/or where remaining in their current accommodation may cause risk of death or serious injury.*

 

Band E*  Substantial evidence must exist for "exceptional or emergency" status to be considered.

"Exceptional or emergency" status is time limited and will last for 28 days. If the housing applicant has not applied for a property suitable for their needs within that time, their "exceptional or emergency" status will be reviewed and the housing applicant may be placed in a different band or directly allocated a property. If no suitable property has arisen within the 28 day time period then the "exceptional or emergency" status will be renewed automatically for a further 28 days.

A housing applicant with "exceptional or emergency" status who bids for a property will be considered as a priority above all other housing applicants in any other band.

For full details on how Castle Point Borough Council allocates housing, please click the following link to see our Allocations Policy.