Steve McCabe MP is encouraging his constituents who are currently on the Council’s housing waiting list to re-register before 19 April 2017 to avoid being taken off the register.
Birmingham City Council is changing the way it allocates social housing to make the system easier for people to understand and to make the best use of the existing housing stock. The Council have also said that the current system gives people false expectations because of open access to the housing register and makes it difficult for existing tenants to gain an offer of alternative accommodation.
The new scheme will not have an open Housing Register, this means that those with the most housing need or those who are most vulnerable will be eligible to be placed on the housing register. This will mean some people currently on the register will no longer be eligible. Under the new policy, those who will be eligible must fall within the new banding criteria, there are 4 bandings and these are;
- Band 1: Reasonable Preference plus additional preference (very urgent need) i.e. those living in acute overcrowding, medical housing needs, foster carers and HM armed forces
- Band 2: Reasonable Preference categories (Hardship and homelessness)
- Band 3: Non-priority and intentionally homeless, (Intentionally homeless, non-priority homeless, 1 bedroom short)
- Band 4: No Reasonable Preference, but qualify for City of Birmingham priority award (Aged 55+ seeking retirement or extra-care housing, ex-armed forces personnel who lived in Birmingham for at least 6 months immediately prior to enlisting)
The Council will have started writing to all of the 20,000 applicants listed on the current Housing Allocation register to tell them that, if they still wish to be allocated social housing, they will need to make a new application to the new scheme.
To reapply online please visit: www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20046/council_housing/922/housing_applications_and_re-registration
For enquiries about the changes to Birmingham’s social housing please email: allocationscheme@birmingham.gov.uk
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