Why I might be able to change my bedroom need?

Our housing allocations scheme is more generous than the legal overcrowding rules used by central government.

This means that some households may qualify for more bedrooms under our policy than they would under the legal standard.

For example under our policy, children of the same gender are expected to share only until the oldest child reaches 16. Because the eldest son is 17, each son would be entitled to their own bedroom.

 *The three daughters will share two rooms between them.

However, under the government's legal overcrowding standard children of the same gender can be expected to share a bedroom until the oldest child reaches 21.

 *The three daughters will share two rooms between them.

What does this mean in practice?

Let's say this family currently lives in a three-bedroom home.

Under our housing allocations scheme:

• Households overcrowded by two or more bedrooms are placed in the Emergency Band.
• Households overcrowded by one bedroom are placed in Band 1.

This means the same family could be:

    
Why would I choose the legal standard?

Five-bedroom homes become available very rarely through our housing register. In some years, only a handful become available, and in some locations there may be none at all.

A household assessed as needing a five-bedroom property may therefore wait a long time for a suitable home to become available, even if they are in the Emergency Band.

By choosing to be assessed under the legal standard, the same household could be considered for four-bedroom homes instead. Four-bedroom properties generally become available more often than five-bedroom properties.

For some families, this can provide a more realistic and practical route to rehousing.

Does choosing the legal standard guarantee a quicker move?

No. We cannot guarantee how quickly anyone will be rehoused.

However, some applicants decide that having access to a larger pool of available properties is more important than having a higher priority band for a property type that rarely becomes available.

It is important to note, if you do choose to reduce your bedroom need and place at the top of the shortlist it is possible that some housing providers may not agree to offer you a tenancy because their own policy may require them to confirm with a different bedroom requirement that is above the legal limits. Ultimately the final decision whether or not to offer you a home wll be down to them as housing provider.

If your household could be assessed differently under our policy and the legal overcrowding standard, we will explain both options to you.

We will make sure you understand:

• how many bedrooms you would qualify for under each assessment;
• what banding you would receive;
• the types of properties you could bid for; and
• the likely availability of those properties.

You can then decide which option best meets the needs of your household.