Register for social housing

This page explains how we assess how many bedrooms your household needs, how overcrowding affects your housing register priority and when we may allow an additional bedroom.

How we work out how many bedrooms you need

We normally base your bedroom need on the people whose main home is with you, including anyone else who might reasonably be expected to live with you, such as a resident carer.

Where a child lives between households, or you have regular overnight care of a child, we will consider the individual circumstances in line with our housing allocations scheme.

We may ask for evidence, such as Child Benefit or Universal Credit information, a child arrangements order or other appropriate evidence. We also accept a sworn affidavit, notarised by a solicitor, detailing the full arrangements, and signed by both parents.

Our bedroom standard

We will usually allow:

• one bedroom for each adult or couple aged 16 or over
• one bedroom for two children of the same sex who are both under 16, provided the room is suitable for two children.
• one bedroom for two children under 10, regardless of sex, provided the room is suitable for two children.

This is more generous than the government’s allocation of accommodation guidance, which follows a stricter bedroom standard. Under the government rules:

• A separate bedroom is given to anyone aged 21 or over.
• Two children aged 10 - 20 of the same gender are expected to share.
• Two children under 10 are expected to share regardless of gender.

Our housing allocations scheme allows more flexibility by recognising the need for space earlier - giving a bedroom to young people aged 16+, and allowing children of the same gender to stop sharing a room when the eldest turns 16, not 21. This means more families qualify for extra space with us than they would under the national standard.

You can check if your home is the right size for you or is overcrowded by law on the Shelter website which takes into account your exact bedroom measurements and other available rooms:

Check if your house is overcrowded by law

Which rooms count as bedrooms?

Under the legal rules, these all count as rooms you can sleep in:

• bedrooms
• living rooms and dining rooms
• box rooms, studies or home offices

A large kitchen might count as a room you can sleep in. But it could still be unsafe and not reasonable. For example, if young children have to sleep in a kitchen.

These do not count as rooms you can sleep in:

• bathrooms and toilets
• small kitchens and utility rooms
• any room that is less than 4.65 square metres (50 square feet)

You can check if your home is the right size for you or is overcrowded by law on the Shelter website which takes into account your exact bedroom measurements and other available rooms:

Check if your house is overcrowded by law

How overcrowding affects your priority

Your level of overcrowding will impact your banding on the housing register.

• If you are overcrowded by two or more bedrooms, you’ll be placed in the emergency band - our highest priority level.
• If you are overcrowded by one bedroom, you’ll be placed in band 1 (high priority).

Sharing rooms and using living rooms

When assessing overcrowding in your current home, we consider your household as a whole and whether the space available can reasonably and safely be used differently.

Even where we accept that two people cannot share because of disability, medical need or other exceptional circumstances, this does not automatically mean that an additional bedroom is required.

Depending on individual circumstances, we may consider whether a parent and child could reasonably share, whether a double room could have twin beds in it, or whether a suitable sitting or living room could be used for sleeping. The statutory overcrowding rules also recognise that some living rooms can count as sleeping accommodation.

In reaching a decision, we will always consider:

• the age and sex of the people involved
• disability, medical and care needs
• the size and suitability of the room
• safeguarding, welfare and privacy
• the effect on other household members
• whether the arrangement is reasonable, safe and sustainable.

Where relevant evidence shows that an arrangement would create a significant risk to someone's health or wellbeing, we will take this into account. This will not however lead to an automatic emergency band on medical grounds. 

Being one bedroom short under our normal standard will therefore not necessarily result in additional overcrowding priority if another reasonable, safe and suitable sleeping arrangement is available.

While you are waiting to move

There is a limited supply of social housing in Lichfield District and larger homes generally become available less frequently, with longer waiting times.

Whether you are on the housing register, waiting to apply or are not eligible to join the register, you may need to make the best reasonable and safe use of the sleeping space available in your current home.

This may mean rearranging where members of your household sleep. Depending on your circumstances, this could include a parent and child sharing a bedroom or using a suitable living room for sleeping. 

This is particularly important if you are waiting for medical, care or other professional evidence that may affect your bedroom need. We make our assessment using the evidence available at the time, but you should continue to obtain and provide relevant evidence as it becomes available.

We will not expect sleeping arrangements that would be unsafe. If there is evidence of serious circumstances affecting whether it is safe for you and your household to continue living in your current accommodation, we may consider whether you are homeless or threatened with homelessness under homelessness legislation.

This is a separate legal assessment from your housing register application. 

If you are on the housing register

If the evidence does not currently establish that you need an additional bedroom, keep bidding for homes of the size you currently qualify for and keep us updated.

If your circumstances change or significant new evidence establishes that you need an additional bedroom, we can reassess your application and change your bedroom need.

You will not have to start your time on the housing register again simply because your bedroom need changes. The time you have already spent registered will continue to be relevant when properties are allocated in accordance with our housing allocations scheme. 

However, if the reassessment changes your banding, your effective date in the new band will be the date your banding changes. This means that, when applicants in the same band are prioritised by effective date, your time in that band will run from the date you moved into it, rather than from the date you originally joined the housing register.

If you are reaching the top of a shortlist and are concerned that your circumstances have changed, new evidence has become available or your bedroom need may no longer be appropriate, please contact us as soon as possible. This is particularly important if you were waiting for evidence when we originally assessed your application.

We can consider the new information and, where appropriate, reassess your bedroom need before you progress further with bidding on properties.

If you are not yet on the housing register

If you feel that your household is overcrowded, but the evidence currently available does not support the bedroom need you have asked us to consider, your application to the housing register may not be approved.

We will assess your application using the information and evidence available at the time. You do not need to wait for medical, care or other professional assessments to be completed before applying, however you will need to provide any evidence within 28 days of making an application.

If your application is not approved, it will be closed. We do not keep applications open beyond 28 days. Closed applications are not reopened.

If further evidence becomes available, you will need to make a new application to the housing register and provide the new information with it. We will assess your circumstances and bedroom need again using the evidence available at that time.

In the meantime, you will need to make the best and safest use of the sleeping accommodation available in your current home.

Larger homes and your housing options

Larger social homes, particularly homes with four or more bedrooms, become available very rarely.

Because our normal bedroom standard is more generous than the standard recommended in government allocations guidance (Allocation of Social Housing Guidance), you may sometimes qualify for a larger home under our standard than under the government standard. This is because under the government guidance two children of the same sex can legally share a room up until the age of 21. 

Where this applies, you can choose which standard we use. You cannot be assessed under both at the same time.

For example, you might qualify for five bedrooms under our standard but four bedroom under the government standard.

Choosing our standard may mean a larger property and higher overcrowding priority, but you will only be able to bid for that larger property size. Choosing the government standard may reduce your overcrowding priority but would allow you to bid for a smaller property size which may become available more frequently.

We will not assess you for a property size that would result in statutory overcrowding.

Before you decide, we will explain:

• your bedroom need under each standard.
• how each would affect your banding.
• the property sizes you could bid for.
• how frequently those properties generally become available.
• the sharing arrangements involved.

A higher band does not necessarily mean you will be rehoused more quickly if homes of the size you need rarely become available. We will explain the effect of your choice and record your decision.

When we may allow an additional bedroom

We may recognise a need for additional bedroom space in certain circumstances. Each case is considered individually, and we may ask for supporting evidence.

Third party independent medical advice

Where appropriate, we will refer medical evidence to Now Medical, our independent clinical assessment service.

Medical advice informs our decision but does not make the housing decision for us. We consider it alongside the household's circumstances and our housing allocations scheme.

A diagnosis does not automatically result in an additional bedroom, and a person does not have to have a formal diagnosis for us to consider their needs.

Evidence and changing circumstances

Depending on your circumstances, we may ask for relevant medical or care information, benefit information, details of overnight care, information from children's services, court orders or evidence showing where a child normally lives.

Where appropriate, we may seek independent advice about how a medical condition, disability or other need affects your housing requirements through Now Medical.

If an assessment or investigation is ongoing, keep providing relevant evidence as it becomes available. You do not need to wait for every assessment to be completed before updating us.

If information comes to light that may affect your bedroom need, please contact us so we can consider whether your housing register assessment should be changed.

Offers from housing providers

Being eligible to bid for a particular size of property does not guarantee that a registered provider or housing association will offer you a particular home.

If you are nominated, the provider will make its own decision under its policies. This may include considering the property's size and layout, affordability, household circumstances and any medical, disability, care, safeguarding or other relevant needs.

A provider may therefore decide that a property is unsuitable even though it has the number of bedrooms you are assessed as needing on our housing register, including where it considers that particular sleeping arrangements would not be reasonable or suitable indefinitely.

We do not make or have oversight of that decision and cannot require a provider to make an offer.

Equally, a provider deciding that a particular property is unsuitable does not automatically mean that you qualify for an additional bedroom on our housing register.

Need support?

If you’re unsure what you’re entitled to or need help understanding your options, please get in touch. We’re here to help and will always do our best to find a fair and supportive solution for you and your family.

Find out how to contact us.