Priority Bands
 

When you register for a transfer or for re-housing as a home seeker, your application will be assessed by your landlord or Council. You will be placed in one of the priority bands described below.

If you disagree with your priority band you can ask the landlord or Council, which holds your registration details, to review your banding.

When bids are considered for advertised properties, priority will be given to bids from people in the highest priority band. If people from the same priority band bid for the same property the person with the earliest priority date will be considered first.

The principle to bear in mind is that no-one should overtake existing housing applicants in a band. When moving up a band it will be the date that the higher priority has been given. When moving down a band the new priority date reverts to the date that applied when the member was previously in that band or any earlier date when they were in a higher band. The principle is that when moving down they should be awarded the earliest date that they were in the new lower band, or in a higher band.

For Homeless applicants their priority date would be the date of the determination of their homelessness application, unless the member was previously in that band.

Below is a general guide to the Priority Bands. However, this does not represent a definitive list of categories and you should speak to your housing department or housing office with whom you have registered if you would like precise information about how the scheme applies to you.

• Brent Council tenants where the property is imminently required (within 9 months) because of lease expiry or for essential work (e.g. Redevelopment scheme).Brent Council tenants who need to be moved to allow major repairs or full scale rehabilitation/conversion work to be carried out.

• When the applicant/tenant or member of their household has a life threatening condition, which is seriously affected by their current housing

• Private sector tenants where the Council’s Private Housing Services has determined that the property poses a Category 1 Hazard and a Closing Order has been issued

• Housing have agreed to a Social Services recommendation to provide permanent accommodation to enable fostering or adoption.

• Council and housing association tenants downsizing to another social home with fewer bedrooms.

• Urgent need to move for medical or welfare reasons, where current housing conditions are having a major adverse effect.

• Private tenants living in conditions that pose a serious risk to health and safety which cannot be resolved by the landlord within 6 months.

• Council and housing association tenants in adapted properties they no longer need.

• Successors and tenants with a flexible tenancy approved by the council for a move to more appropriate accommodation.

• Ex-service tenants where there is a contractual re-housing obligation.

• Where the current housing of an applicant or a member of the applicant’s household is having a major adverse effect on their medical condition. It will not apply where the effect of housing conditions on health is comparatively moderate, slight or variable

• Where a Brent Council tenant has been assessed as being statutorily overcrowded in accordance with Part X of the Housing Act 1985

• Where an applicant is severely overcrowded, lacking 2 or more bedrooms based on their household composition

• Older people moving to sheltered housing (this is generally for people aged 60 or over)

• Ex-member of Armed Forces in accordance with regulations

• Clients that have been accepted under move on quota such as leaving care, social services, probation services, Adult social care

• Accepted homeless applicants living in temporary accommodation provided by the Council regardless of the type of accommodation they are living in (B&B, Hostel, AST etc). Please note that clients that are living in TA where the lease of their property is due to end will be band C. They need to contact TA Support team when they receive their lease end from their Landlord/Housing Association.

• Where a Brent resident is living in poor accommodation and this has been assessed and accepted by the Private Housing Services.

If you register for social housing in Brent, but do not qualify for band A,B or C, you will not be able to bid for properties through Locata.