North Norfolk District Council
Housing Allocations Scheme
Background
This Allocations Scheme has been developed in accordance with the Housing Act 1996 Part
VI as amended by the Localism Act 2011. The scheme has been developed to utilise the
flexibilities afforded by the Localism Act 2011 to achieve the Council’s ambition that ‘everyone
in North Norfolk should have the opportunity to buy or rent a decent home at a price they can
afford in a community where they want to live or work’. The scheme has also been developed
in line with the Council’s Housing Strategy objectives to make best use of the existing housing
stock and support vulnerable residents to live independently in the community.
The Council does not have any housing stock and this allocations scheme has been
developed primarily for the purpose of providing nominations to housing associations with
affordable housing stock in the district including for social rent, affordable rent and low cost
home ownership. The Council will also use the principles of the scheme to provide
‘nominations’ to private landlords as part of a scheme which seeks to assist residents with
access to a range of options across a range of products and tenures.
Introduction
This scheme has been developed in partnership with housing associations with housing stock
in the district. The scheme will be administered by the Council through the North Norfolk Your
Choice Your Home scheme, the Choice Based Lettings scheme, introduced in September
2009 albeit with changes to reflect the new Allocations Scheme.
A wide range of stakeholders including applicants, tenants, statutory agencies, voluntary and
community organisations, Ward Members and Town and Parish Councils were consulted on
the Allocations Scheme at a draft stage or on the principles of the scheme.
The scheme will include the following;
Housing Register which will include only those applicants in the very highest levels of
housing need who will be given overall preference for social and affordable rented
properties. Applicants on the Housing Register can also be considered for housing on
exception housing schemes, low cost home ownership products and privately rented
accommodation
Housing Options Register which will include applicants in lower levels of housing
need who can be considered for any social and affordable rent properties not required
for those applicants on the Housing Register, housing on exception housing schemes,
low cost home ownership products and privately rented accommodation
Transfer Register which will include all tenants in social or affordable rented
properties in the North Norfolk district who want to transfer (other than those who are
eligible to join the Housing Register due to their high level of housing need).
Transferring tenants will be given preference for up to 20% of advertised properties but
otherwise tenants can be considered for any social and affordable rent properties not
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required for those applicants on the Housing Register, housing on exception housing
schemes, low cost home ownership products and privately rented accommodation.
Housing Register
Only applicants that have a level of housing need that meets one of the Government’s
reasonable preference criteria will generally be eligible to join the Housing Register. There
may be exceptions where the Council has a statutory duty to house a household and where
they do not have a level of housing need that meets one of the Government’s reasonable
preference criteria e.g. as a result of the need to house a household through the Rent
Agriculture Act 1976.
The Government can through regulation make changes to the reasonable preference criteria.
The Council considers that some of the reasonable preference criteria should receive a higher
level of priority for housing than others and the Housing Register will therefore incorporate 3
levels of priority; Priority Band, Band 1 and Band 2. The current reasonable preference
criteria and the level of priority they will be given is detailed at appendix 2. An applicant could
be demoted from Band 1 to Band 2 if they have not bid for properties which were considered
suitable and could have met their housing needs including low cost home ownership products
and privately rented properties and in certain circumstances e.g. applicants accepted as
homeless, the Council will submit bids on behalf of applicants after a reasonable period has
elapsed (generally considered to be 6 bidding cycles or 6 weeks) including for privately rented
properties.
The Council will require there to be substantial evidence to demonstrate that an applicant
meets one of the reasonable preference criteria and would expect that in most cases there
would be verification and support from a statutory agency. Only those applicants who have
the very highest level of housing need will be placed in the Priority Band to recognise that
they have an immediate or urgent need to be housed and this will be determined by a majority
view of the partners to the scheme through the Virtual Review Group. An applicant could be
demoted from the Priority Band by the Virtual Review Group if they have not bid for properties
which were considered suitable and could have met their housing needs.
Additional preference will be given to applicants on the Housing Register who have a local
connection to the North Norfolk District (as defined in the Housing Act 1996, Part VI). An
applicant will have a local connection if they have:
Lived in the North Norfolk District Council area for 6 out of the last 12 months or 3
years out of the last 5 years or
If they work in the North Norfolk District Council area or
They have a family member who has lived in the North Norfolk District Council for (at
least) 5 years.
The length of time an applicant has been in their Band on the Housing Register will also be
used where necessary to determine preference between applicants in a Band when being
shortlisted to be considered for an allocation of housing.
The Government requires that members, and some former members, of the Armed Forces
and their families are not penalised by any requirement to have a local connection, the
Council will therefore give any such applicant who does not have a local connection an
automatic local connection. The Government also requires that such applicants are given
additional preference for consideration for an allocation of affordable housing, the Council
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considers that backdating the relevant date for applicants who meet this criteria by 3 months
will meet this requirement i.e. if the relevant date would normally be 01/12/2012 the relevant
date would be amended to 01/09/2012.
The Council will use its discretion to give an automatic local connection to other applicants
where appropriate e.g. applicants fleeing domestic violence where their local connections are
in areas in which they would not be safe and applicants who are leaving care where the care
placement was out of district but where the applicant wants to return to the district due to
previous residence or family connections.
Applicants on the Housing Register will be given overall preference for social and affordable
rented properties with the exception of those for which preference is given to existing tenants
of social and affordable housing and properties on exception housing schemes. Applicants on
the Housing Register can also be considered for social and affordable rented housing on
exception housing schemes, low cost home ownership products and privately rented
accommodation but will not be given overall preference and will be considered alongside
applicants on the Housing Options Register and Transfer Register either in accordance with
the Local Allocations Agreement or having consideration to affordability and sustainability.
Shortlisting for consideration for an allocation of social and affordable rented housing from the
Housing Register will be as follows;
Band (Priority Band, Band 1, Band 2)
Local connection
Relevant date
(i.e. applicants in Priority Band with a local connection will be considered ahead of those in
Priority Band without a connection and the applicant with the longest relevant date will be
considered first, applicants in Band 1 will be considered after those in the Priority Band).
Properties will be advertised and initial preference will be given to households on the Housing
Register, this is Stage 1 of the allocation process. Where a property which has been
advertised has not been allocated to an applicant on the Housing Register, Stage 2 of the
allocation process will be used and all bidders (those on the Housing Register, Housing
Options Register and Transfer Register) will be considered and the property will be allocated
using the Local Allocations Agreement and bidders will be shortlisted by:
Strongest connection to the parish in which the property is located or the adjoining
parishes as determined by the Local Allocations Agreement
Band
Relevant Date
The only exception to the above will be where a property has been adapted and where there
is a wish to see the property offered to an applicant who would benefit from the adaptation or
where the housing association wishes to assess the suitability of prospective tenants for the
property as a means of addressing particular issues. In both cases the advert for any
available property will clearly state this and this will enable housing associations to overlook
shortlisted applicants as appropriate. The reasons for overlooking shortlisted applicants will
be clearly stated on the Your Choice Your Home system. Housing associations will not be
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able to overlook applicants on the Housing Register however in favour of an applicant on the
Housing Options Register or the Transfer Register. It is likely that if an applicant had a strong
need for an adapted property that they would be on the Housing Register. If it is not possible
to identify an applicant on the Housing Register who requires an adapted property, the
property will revert to a normal let and will be let using the 2 Stage Approach.
For a diagram showing the 2 Stage approach see Appendix 4.
Housing Options Register
The Housing Options Register will include applicants in lower levels of housing need who can
be considered for any social and affordable rent properties not required for those applicants
on the Housing Register and, housing on exception housing schemes. Applicants on the
Housing Options Register can also be considered for low cost home ownership products and
privately rented accommodation alongside applicants on the Housing Register and Transfer
Register having consideration to affordability and sustainability. Applicants on the Housing
Options Register will not be placed in Bands according to housing need but instead
shortlisting for consideration for an allocation of social and affordable rented housing from the
Housing Options Register will be in accordance with the Local Allocations Agreement. The
Local Allocations Agreement prioritises applicants in housing need who have connections to
the towns and villages of North Norfolk including residence, employment and family
residence. Thresholds are used to identify what level of connection the applicant has.
Shortlisting using the Local Allocations Agreement will be as follows:
Connection
Relevant Date
The Government requires that members, and some former members, of the Armed Forces
and their families (Appendix 3) are not penalised by any requirement to have a local
connection. The Council will, where appropriate, offer such applicants who do not have a local
connection (at the time of application only) the opportunity to identify a town or village where
they would like to live and they will be given priority for an allocation of a property which would
be equivalent to an A connection. The Government also requests that such applicants are
given additional preference for consideration for an allocation of affordable housing, the
Council considers that backdating the relevant date for applicants who meet this criteria by 3
months will meet this requirement i.e. if the relevant date would normally be 01/12/2012 the
relevant date would be amended to 01/09/2012.
Transfer Register
The Transfer Register will include all tenants in social or affordable rented properties in the
North Norfolk district who want to transfer (other than those who are eligible to join the
Housing Register due to their high level of housing need). Transferring tenants will be given
preference for up to 20% of advertised properties but otherwise tenants can be considered for
any social and affordable rent properties not required for those applicants on the Housing
Register, housing on exception housing schemes, low cost home ownership products and
privately rented accommodation.
On moving to another property the tenant will have to give their landlord vacant possession of
their current property which can then be made available for allocation to another household
unless the landlord has identified the property for withdrawal from stock for redevelopment or
disposal. The tenant cannot join the Transfer Register if they are intending to move and leave
members of their household including a joint tenant to continue to live in the property. In such
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cases the tenant would need to liaise with their landlord and agree to give up their rights to
the tenancy and apply to join the Housing Register or Housing Options Register.
Housing associations will have the flexibility to develop their own policies to decide what
factors they will use to allocate properties included in the 20% quota. Housing associations
will however be expected to publish their policies and operate in a fair and transparent way,
being held accountable for all decisions.
Properties subject to the transfer quota will be advertised and initial preference will be given
to households on the Transfer Register, where a property is not allocated to an applicant on
the Transfer Register, all bidders (not just those on the Transfer Register) will then be eligible
and the property will be let using the 2 Stage Approach (see Appendix 4).
Housing associations will also be able to use their transfer quota to identify properties for
Direct Lets which enable them to achieve organisational objectives although this needs to be
in balance with meeting the housing needs and aspirations of tenants in housing association
properties (regardless of landlord) across the district. Requests for Direct Lets will be
considered by the Virtual Review Group.
Who can join the Housing Register? - Qualification criteria
Reasonable preference criteria
Only applicants who are assessed as having a housing need which is covered by the
Government’s reasonable preference criteria will be able to join the Housing Register in
addition to applicants for whom the Council has a statutory duty to house and which are not
covered within the reasonable preference criteria (with the exception of applicants who would
otherwise be disqualified).
All other applicants (with the exception of applicants who would otherwise be disqualified) will
be able to join the Housing Options Register or the Transfer Register.
Who can join the Transfer Register? – Qualification criteria
Only applicants who are currently tenants of social and affordable rented housing in the North
Norfolk District Council area can join the Transfer Register.
Who cannot join the Housing Register, Housing Options Register and Transfer
Register? - Non-qualification criteria
Applicants who fall into one of the categories below either will or may be disqualified from
joining the Housing Register, Housing Options Register or Transfer Register.
Immigration status
A person who is ineligible because of their immigration status cannot be allocated a tenancy
and therefore will not be accepted on to any of the Housing Registers.
Unsuitable to be a tenant
The Council reserves the right to disqualify an applicant or applicants where they or a
member of their household has been guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to
make them unsuitable to be a tenant including anti-social behaviour, significant rent arrears,
the provision of false or misleading information and intimidation of other applicants who might
bid for specific properties. The applicant can be disqualified at any time including on
application, on receipt of any information which would demonstrate that the applicant was
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unsuitable to be a tenant or on being considered for an allocation of a property. The applicant
will be able to appeal against the decision that they are unsuitable to be a tenant and are
disqualified from joining a housing register. An applicant can apply to join a housing register
at a later date providing that they can demonstrate that their circumstances or behaviour has
changed such that they now would be suitable to be a tenant.
Applicants under the age of 18 not supported by Children’s Services
The Council will only accept 16 and 17 year olds on to the Housing Register where they are
estranged from their parents and where they have been assessed by Children’s Services as
being capable of living independently with support.
Non provision of information
The Council will wish to verify the housing circumstances of applicants from time to time and
will require the co-operation of the applicant in doing so. Any applicant who does not provide
information which is reasonably requested in order to assess their level of housing need,
connection or links to a town or village or suitability for an allocation of a property may be
disqualified and their housing application will be cancelled.
Worsening of housing circumstances in order to qualify to join the Housing Register or
Housing Options Register
Where there is evidence that an applicant has deliberately worsened their housing
circumstances in order to qualify to join the Housing Register the Council may disqualify the
applicant. This would not apply to applicants who have been deemed to be intentionally
homeless.
Sufficient resources to rent or purchase a suitable property on the Housing Market
All applicants will be subject to a test of their means including income, capital and assets to
determine whether they can afford to meet their need for housing on the housing market
either by renting or buying a property. It is not possible to identify levels beyond which an
applicant would be disqualified because this would vary depending on the household’s needs
and where they needed to live.
The test applied to applicants for the Housing Register would be more stringent than for the
Housing Options Register.
The Council may disregard any lump sum received in compensation for an injury or disability.
Non engagement with services providing support
Applicants with complex needs will invariably require support from statutory agencies to
enable them to sustain living independently within the community. Where an applicant is not
engaging with the support provided the applicant may be disqualified. The Council will decide
whether or not they believe an applicant to have mental capacity, applicants not considered to
have mental capacity and who are not adequately supported will also be disqualified.
Residents of supported housing
Applicants who are resident in supported housing will only be accepted on to the Housing
Register when confirmation is received from the support provider that the applicant is ready
for independent living.
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Consideration should be given to whether an applicant qualifies for an allocation both at the
time of the initial application and when considering making an allocation particularly where a
long time has elapsed since the application was made. In the case of an allocation to two or
more persons jointly, at least one of the applicants/prospective tenants must be a qualifying
person and all of them must be eligible.
Dealing with exceptional cases
The Council will use its discretion to dis-apply these criteria in the case of individual
applicants where there are exceptional circumstances.
Local Allocations Agreement
The Local Allocations Agreement will be used to allocate all properties on exception housing
schemes and all other properties which are not allocated at Stage 1 of the 2 stage approach
(See Appendix 4).
The Local Allocations Agreement (Appendix 5) includes 7 criteria which provide a basis for
determining preference between applicants for affordable housing including low cost home
ownership products. The Local Allocations Agreement prioritises applicants in housing need
who have connections to towns and villages in North Norfolk through residence, employment
and family residence. In the event that there are no applicants with these links consideration
can be given to allocating a property to an applicant who has a wish to live in a particular town
or village but who does not have a connection. This is to ensure that a property can be rented
or sold to ensure that any financial loss to the housing provider is minimised and to ensure
that properties are not left empty for longer than necessary. The Council may request that a
property is re-advertised to seek an applicant with links to a town or village rather than an
allocation being made to an applicant without such links.
What type of properties can households bid for?
The Government is of the view that the bedroom standard is an appropriate measure of
overcrowding for allocation purposes and recommends that all housing authorities should
adopt this as a minimum. It would be sensible therefore to use this or something more
generous to determine what size of property applicants can bid for. The bedroom standard
however is not used for assessing the amount of Local Housing Allowance that a tenant can
receive towards meeting their rent. The Council has decided to use criteria using the best of
both the bedroom standard and Local Housing Allowance criteria for both determining
property eligibility and assessing housing need based on overcrowding. This may mean that
applicants dependent on Local Housing Allowance might be overlooked by landlords for
certain properties. This approach however ensures that those who are not dependent on
Local Housing Allowance can be considered for properties which will be more suited to their
household composition and which will provide an incentive to applicants to be financially
independent. The criteria that will be used are as follows:
A bedroom per adult couple
A bedroom for any other adult aged 16 or over
A bedroom for any two children regardless of sex aged under 10
A bedroom for any two children of the same sex aged between 10 and 16
A bedroom for any other child
Applicants will be advised of the size and type of property that they will be able to bid for. A
housing association may have its own allocations policy however and this may vary from the
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above requirement. A housing association may not offer a tenancy to a prospective tenant
which would result in overcrowding. In addition a housing association will wish to ensure that
any tenancy is sustainable and may, where it has concerns about the affordability of a
property for a prospective tenant, decide not to allocate the property to that applicant and
move to the next applicant on the shortlist. There are likely to be particular concerns where an
applicant has bid for a property which is larger than their requirement but whom is dependent
on Local Housing Allowance either in full or part to pay the rent or whom could be dependent
on Local Housing Allowance at some point in the future.
The number of bedrooms required by an applicant who has access to children, for allocation
purposes, will be determined having consideration to the frequency of visits and the ages and
sexes of the children. Such children may be disregarded in the assessment for the Local
Housing Allowance.
Foster children and overnight carers will be included in the assessment of the applicant’s
bedroom requirement for allocation purposes (subject to support from Children’s Services or
confirmation of the requirement for an overnight carer from an appropriate source) but may
not be included in the assessment for the Local Housing Allowance. Such applicants might be
eligible for Discretionary Housing Payments however these are not available on an on-going
basis and therefore careful consideration will need to be given to the affordability and
sustainability of social, affordable and privately rented accommodation for such households of
working age when being considered for such properties.
A housing association may with the agreement of the Council apply a Local Lettings
Agreement which may result in different property eligibility being applied to a scheme or group
of properties for a set period of time in order to address a particular issue. If this is the case
this will be clearly detailed on the advert for any available property. The housing association
will still wish to ensure that the tenancy will be sustainable for any prospective tenant.
This property eligibility only applies to affordable rent and social rent and private rented
properties.
Sheltered Housing
Applicants for sheltered housing will have to demonstrate that they will benefit from the
support offered to tenants in this type of housing either on becoming a tenant or at some point
in the foreseeable future. Applicants will generally be over 60 years of age but in some
circumstances could be younger.
Housing with Care
Applicants for Housing with Care will have to be over the age of 60 and have a need for both
housing and care. The need for housing will be assessed by the Council and the need for
care will be assessed by the Social Services authority. Applicants accepted as needing
Housing with Care will be placed in Band 1 on the Housing Register.
All shortlisted applicants will be considered for a vacancy and preference will be given to
applicants based on a number of factors including the level of housing need, the level of care
need and the ability of the care provider to meet the care needs of the applicant balanced
against the needs of existing residents within the scheme. Allocations will be made by the
landlord having considered the views of the housing authority, the Social Services authority
and the care provider in respect of the factors outlined. Applicants with a connection to North
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Norfolk will be given preference followed by applicants with a connection to Norfolk and finally
other applicants.
What level of choice will applicants have regarding properties they can bid for?
Applicants will be able to bid for an unlimited number of advertised properties in any location
subject to ‘property eligibility’ criteria as outlined above. An applicant will be able to bid for
eligible properties although they may not be considered for such properties at the initial
shortlisting stage (for example their bid may only be considered at Stage 2 of the 2 Stage
Approach). Information on the type and location of affordable housing stock in the district and
the availability of such properties over the last 5 years will be provided on the Council’s
website through the ‘What and Where’ tool. This will assist applicants in deciding which
properties to bid for. Feedback on allocated properties will be provided on a regular basis
through the Council’s website, the Your Choice Your Home website and the Your Choice
Your Home Newsletter. Available properties will be advertised on a weekly basis through the
Your Choice Your Home website.
What support will vulnerable applicants receive?
Vulnerable applicants will be able to request help with completing their application. The
Council will submit bids on behalf of vulnerable applicants where they are unable to secure
help from a support worker or family or friends. The Council will undertake some monitoring of
bidding behaviour and will contact applicants on the Housing Register who have not made
any bids over the course of a year and where there has been no contact with the Council to
check that they understand how the scheme works.
How will applicants know if they can be allocated a property?
Shortlisting for advertised properties will be undertaken by the landlord of the property in most
cases and applicants at the top of the shortlist will be contacted as soon as possible after the
closing of the bid round. Landlords would hope to allocate the property as soon as possible
and would therefore prefer to contact shortlisted applicants by phone. Most landlords will want
to visit shortlisted applicants at home to verify their circumstances and to arrange for the
applicant to view the property before making an offer. Once an offer is made the landlord
would want the applicant to decide if they want the property and then move into the property
as soon as possible. Applicants bidding for properties need to be prepared to move at very
short notice, but the timescale must be reasonable, especially if the applicant is vulnerable.
Each landlord will be responsible and accountable for the shortlisting and allocation decisions
that they make and will be responsible for dealing with any complaints from applicants as a
result. If a landlord overlooks an applicant on the shortlist or does not offer a property to a
shortlisted applicant the reason for the decision will be recorded on the Your Choice Your
Home system. The Council will undertake some monitoring to ensure that landlords are
operating in accordance with the Allocations Scheme. Any issues with the operation of the
scheme will be discussed with individual landlords directly or through the Operational Group
and Partnership Board as appropriate.
If at the shortlisting stage it is identified that the applicant’s circumstances have changed they
will be overlooked and the landlord will notify the Council. The Council will then contact the
applicant to request that a new housing application is completed to enable an assessment of
the new circumstances to be undertaken as this may result in an applicant being placed on a
different register or given a different level of priority.
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If at the shortlisting stage an applicant is deemed to be unsuitable to be a tenant by a landlord
the applicant should be told and notified of the reasons for this decision. The applicant will be
able to appeal against the decision. The Council should be notified of any such decisions and
will then decide if the applicant should remain on the Register or if they should be disqualified.
Attempts will be made to contact shortlisted applicants however if an applicant cannot be
contacted or does not respond to messages or letters they will be overlooked. The Council
will be notified and will attempt to establish contact, if no contact can be established the
applicant will be removed from the register.
If an applicant is shortlisted for more than one property they will be asked to state a
preference, where possible the applicant will be able to view all of the properties before being
asked to make a decision unless this will result in an unacceptable delay in a property being
allocated. Where the properties are owned by more than one landlord the landlords will liaise
with each other and the applicant to agree a way forward.
Equality and Diversity
The Council is committed to ensuring equality and the promotion of diversity and will seek to
ensure that applicants are not discriminated against on the basis of race, ethnic origin,
culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. An Equality Impact Assessment has
been undertaken of the Allocations Scheme and monitoring of the scheme will be undertaken
to ensure its fair implementation.
Monitoring and Review
The Council will undertake monitoring of the scheme and the information gathered will inform
future reviews of the scheme.
The Council will deliver and develop the scheme partnership with landlords with properties in
in the district which are to be allocated through the scheme. Stakeholders, applicants and
tenants will be notified of any significant changes to the scheme.
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Appendix 1 – Housing Associations with properties in North Norfolk allocated under
the scheme
Broadland Housing
Cotman Housing Association (including Places for People)
Flagship Housing Group
Guinness Trust
Habinteg Housing Association
Hanover Housing Association
Hastoe Housing Association
Housing 21
Orbit East
Riverside Housing
Victory Housing Trust
Wherry Housing Association
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Appendix 2 – Reasonable Preference Criteria
Band 1
Applicants accepted by North Norfolk District Council as homeless within the meaning of
Part 7 of the 1996 Housing Act (see appendix 3 for further guidance)
Applicants occupying insanitary or otherwise living in unsatisfactory housing conditions
(see appendix 3 for further guidance)
Applicants occupying a properties lacking more than one bedroom of their assessed need
Applicants who need to move on medical or welfare grounds (including grounds relating
to a disability)
Applicants who need to move to a particular locality in the North Norfolk District Council
area, where failure to meet that need would cause hardship to themselves or others
Band 2
Applicants who are homeless (other than those accepted as homeless by North Norfolk
District Council) within the meaning of Part 7 of the 1996 Housing Act including people
owed a duty by any housing authority or who are occupying accommodation secured by
any housing authority under Part 7 of the 1996 Housing Act
Applicants occupying properties lacking one bedroom of their assessed need
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Appendix 3 – Additional Guidance for the Housing Register
Priority Band
Requests to assist in the rehousing of households under the National Witness Mobility
Scheme will where appropriate be accepted and automatically placed in the Priority Band
without reference to the Virtual Review Group.
Homeless Households
Homeless households in Band 1 could be moved to Band 2 if they refuse an offer of suitable
alternative accommodation including an offer of a privately rented property.
Households living in insanitary or otherwise unsatisfactory housing
These factors will be assessed by the Council in accordance with the Housing, Health and
Safety Rating System. An applicant will only be placed in Band 1 on the Housing Register
where a Category 1 hazard has been identified in the property they rent and where it is not
possible or practical to reduce this to at least a high level Category 2 hazard. The Council will
where necessary and appropriate take enforcement action in accordance with the Council’s
Enforcement Policy. In the case of overcrowding regard will be given to the Bedroom
Standard and the Housing Act 1985 when deciding if an applicant should be placed in Band 1
or Band 2. Where the applicant is an owner-occupier careful consideration will be given to
whether the applicant qualifies to join the register, this will be dependent upon the number
and severity of any hazards and the ability of the owner to resolve the issues or the ability of
the owner to meet their housing needs in the housing market. Decisions to place an applicant
on the Housing Register as a result of these 3 factors will need to be supported by the senior
officer with responsibility for the Housing Enforcement function.
Officers with responsibility for enforcement of Housing Standards and officers with
responsibility for Housing Options should work holistically to assist tenants and owners to
improve their housing circumstances and to ensure that such properties are improved or are
not available for other occupants.
This aspect of the policy has been developed to ensure that applicants do not move into poor
standard properties with a view to receiving priority for rehousing and to ensure that landlords
do not avoid their responsibilities to maintain their properties.
People who need to move on medical or welfare grounds
The Council will give priority to applicants who are foster carers or approved to adopt to move
to more suitable accommodation to enable them to accommodate a Looked After
Child/Children who was previously looked after by the local authority, to include Special
Guardians, holders of a Residence Order and family/friend carers who have taken on the care
of a child/children because the parents are unable to provide care. In all cases, support from
Children’s Services will be required.
Members of the Armed Forces
The Government requires that members and some former members of the Armed Forces and
their families (see below) are not penalised by any requirement to have a local connection
and that such applicants who fall into one or more of the reasonable preference criteria and
who have urgent housing needs are given additional preference for consideration for an
allocation of affordable housing. In addition Government has requested that such applicants
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are also given additional priority for an allocation of affordable housing where they do not
have urgent housing needs.
This applies to:
Former members of the Armed Forces
Serving members of the Armed Forces who need to move because of a serious injury,
medical condition or disability sustained as a result of their service
Bereaved spouses and civil partners of members of the Armed Forces leaving
Services Family Accommodation following the death of their spouse or partner
Serving or former members of the Reserve Forces who need to move because of a
serious injury, medical condition or disability sustained as a result of their service.
Evidence of eligibility will be required.
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Appendix 4 – The 2 Stage Approach to Allocations
A new 2 Stage Approach will be used to allocate properties. The diagrams below show how
the 2 Stage Approach will work for properties which are and are not subject to the transfer
quota.
Properties which are NOT subject to the transfer quota:
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Properties which ARE subject to the transfer quota:
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Appendix 5 - Local Allocations Agreement
The Local Allocations Agreement will be used to allocate all properties on exception housing
schemes and all other properties which are allocated through Stage 2 of the 2 Stage
Approach (see Appendix 4).
The Local Allocations Agreement includes 7 criteria which provide a basis for determining
preference between applicants for affordable housing including low cost home ownership
products. The criteria cover links based on residence, employment and family residence to
the villages and towns in North Norfolk. In the event that there are no applicants with these
links consideration can be given to allocating a property to an applicant who has a wish to live
in a particular town or village but who does not have a connection. This is to ensure that a
property can be rented or sold to ensure that any financial loss to the housing provider is
minimised and to ensure that properties are not left empty for longer than necessary. The
Council may request that a property is re-advertised to seek an applicant with links to a town
or village rather than an allocation being made to an applicant without such links.
The Local Allocations Agreement gives preference to applicants with strong links to the town
or village in which the property being allocated is located and the adjoining parishes equally.
This is because there will be some towns or villages which have very little affordable housing
stock and some towns and villages where it will not be possible to develop new affordable
housing because of constraints including sensitive local environments, coastal erosion,
flooding and lack of available land. It is essential that applicants with strong links to such
towns and villages are not disadvantaged as a result.
Properties on an Exception Housing Scheme will be advertised through the Your Choice Your
Home scheme with the LC symbol and the towns and villages to which strong links apply will
be clearly listed. Any applicant on one of the three registers can apply and shortlisting will be
undertaken based on the strength of connection in conjunction with the level of housing need
where applicable and the length of time waiting.
The Agreement refers to parish which is applicable to both towns and villages in the area,
although where a town is an adjacent parish to a parish with a vacant property the town is not
treated as an adjoining parish.
The criteria form a cascade with the strongest connection being an A connection and the
weakest connection being a G connection as shown below:
A
An applicant meeting this criterion will have lived in the parish or adjoining parishes for at
least 3 consecutive years at the point of allocation and have at least one of the following
criteria:
Lived for at least 5 years at any time in the parish or adjoining parishes OR
Are employed in the parish or adjoining parish (permanent employment of at least 12
months and 16 hours per week) OR
Have a family member who has lived for at least 5 consecutive years in the parish or
adjoining parish at the point of allocation
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B
An applicant meeting this criterion will have lived in the parish or adjoining parishes for at
least 3 consecutive years at the point of allocation and have at least one of the following
criteria:
• Are employed in the parish or adjoining parish (permanent employment of less than 12
months and 16 hours per week) OR
• Have a family member who has lived for at least 3 consecutive years in the parish or
adjoining parish at the point of allocation
C
An applicant meeting this criterion will meet at least one of the following criteria:
• Lived for at least 5 years at any time in the parish or adjoining parishes OR
• Are employed in the parish or adjoining parish (permanent employment of at least 12
months and 16 hours per week) OR
• Have a family member who has lived for at least 5 consecutive years in the parish or
adjoining parish at the point of allocation
D
An applicant meeting this criterion will meet at least one of the following criteria:
• Lived for at least 3 years at any time in the parish or adjoining parishes OR
• Are employed in the parish or adjoining parish (permanent employment of less than 12
months and 16 hours per week) OR
• Have a family member who has lived for at least 3 consecutive years in the parish or
adjoining parish at the point of allocation
E
An applicant meeting this criterion will meet at least one of the following criteria:
• Lived for at least 12 months at any time in the parish or the adjoining parishes OR
• Are employed in the parish or adjoining parish (temporary employment or permanent
employment of less than 16 hours per week) OR
• Have a family member who has lived for at least 12 consecutive months in the parish
or adjoining parish at the point of allocation
F
An applicant meeting this criterion wants to live in the parish and has a connection to North
Norfolk as defined by the Housing Act 1996, Part VII.
G
An applicant meeting this criterion wants to live in the parish but does not have a connection
to North Norfolk.
The criteria above reflect the need to give priority by current residence, former residence,
employment and family connections. Family connections relate to a close family member and
the Council will have discretion to decide who a close family member is and will take into
account the particular family circumstances and strength of relationships/dependence.
The Council in some exceptional cases will consider whether an applicant’s local connection
to a town or village should be increased, such cases will be considered on their merits at the
Council’s discretion.
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