Richmond Housing Allocation Scheme Consultation

Prefer to watch rather than read?

Watch a short video explaining this proposal, including the current scheme, the proposed change, why it is being considered, and what it could mean in practice.

At present, a homeless household may lose its place on the housing register if they end their homelessness by moving into private rented housing.

We propose allowing households who find their own private rented home to remain on the housing register with the same registration date and banding they would have had if they had continued living in temporary accommodation.

This could help people to move into a more settled home sooner, without losing the opportunity to be considered for social housing.

What is the current scheme?

The current scheme places applicants that are owed the main homelessness duty into the homeless queue, where they will normally receive only one suitable housing offer. However, if they move into a private rented home they no longer remain in the homeless queue, as the scheme does not set out a specific mechanism which allows applicants to keep their registration date or priority band.

Proposal

We propose allowing qualifying households who end their homelessness by securing their own private rented accommodation to keep the registration date and band they would have had, had they remained in temporary accommodation.

Why are we proposing this change?

At present, some homeless households may be reluctant to find a private rented home because doing so could mean losing their housing register priority. We want to remove this concern. Allowing households to keep their registration date and band could help them move out of temporary accommodation sooner, or avoid it altogether, while continuing to be considered for social housing in the future. This would also help the council make better use of limited temporary accommodation and social housing.

What this means 

This would allow some households to move out of temporary accommodation, or avoid entering it, without losing their priority on the housing register.

It may give households more confidence to accept or secure a private rented home as they know they will continue to be considered for social housing in the future.

Case study

Scenario:

A family have made a homeless application and are living in temporary accommodation (TA). They are aware that, despite living in TA for many years already, it could be a further 6 years before they are made an offer of social housing. Tired of the uncertainty that living in TA brings, they find a private rented home they can afford and is close to their children’s school.

Currently:

If they move into this private rented home, they would be deemed suitably and ‘adequately housed’. As such, they would no longer qualify to be on the housing register and therefore would not usually be considered for social housing in the future. While they will have now found settled housing by moving into private rented home, any time spent in temporary accommodation would not count towards social housing in the future.

If the proposal is adopted:

The family could choose to move into the private rented property they had found for themselves, moving out from TA and all the uncertainty this brings with it. However, they would remain on the housing register with the same banding and registration date than if they were in TA. In effect, their chances of securing social housing haven’t changed. What has changed is the type of accommodation they would be living in the interim.

Furthermore, in moving to the private rented sector, they would now be able to choose what homes they may be considered for, by bidding, rather than having a social home selected for them because it met their requirements (please see proposal 3 for more detail).

Prefer to watch rather than read?

Watch a short video explaining this proposal, including the current scheme, the proposed change, why it is being considered, and what it could mean in practice.

At present, applicants need to have lived in the borough for three consecutive years before they qualify to join the housing register. If they move away from the borough during this time, they will no longer qualify.

We propose changing the rule from three continuous years living in the borough to five years out of the last seven, with the applicant living in Richmond when they apply.

Current scheme

Currently, applicants who have not lived continuously in the borough for at least three years immediately before applying are usually placed in Band D, or the lowest available band. The scheme already includes exceptions for specified Armed Forces applicants, some Right to Move cases and applicants at risk of homelessness or homeless because of domestic abuse.

Proposal

We propose changing the rule from three continuous years in Richmond to five years out of the last seven, with the applicant living in Richmond when applying.

This would allow breaks in residence and safeguards are proposed for specified groups including people fleeing violence or domestic abuse, some care-experienced young people, former Armed Forces applicants and people unable to return safely to another area.

Why are we proposing this change?

At present, someone can lose their local connection if they need to live outside the borough for a short time, even if they have lived here for many years. We want the rule to recognise a longer-term connection to Richmond while allowing for breaks in residence.

Recognising whether someone has lived in the borough for five of the last seven years would give priority to people with a strong local connection without requiring their residence to be continuous. Safeguards would continue to protect people who cannot safely meet the rule, including people fleeing domestic abuse and other groups covered by legal exemptions.

What this means

The proposal would recognise a longer local connection period and would allow breaks in residence where someone has lived locally for five of the last seven years.

The change may be more difficult to meet for some recently arrived eligible migrants and refugees, and may indirectly affect groups overrepresented on the housing register. We will use consultation responses and equality monitoring to understand these impacts more fully.
 

Case study

Scenario:

Mrs X has been living in the borough for 18 years. She has been on the housing register since 2019 because her 2-bed private rented flat is too small for her and her two children. Last year, her mother, who lives on the south coast, became ill. Mrs X stayed with her for 8 months to look after her, bringing her children with her. Her mother has sadly passed away and she’s since moved back.

Currently:

To be eligible on the housing register Mrs X must have lived in the borough for an unbroken period of at least 3 years. The 18 years in total that she’s been resident here isn’t taken into consideration as she’s lived elsewhere during the last three years. Because of this, her housing register application has become invalid and she would not be able to make a fresh application until 2029. 

If the proposal is adopted:

Mrs X's application would still be valid because she had lived in the borough for five of the last seven years.

Please note:

If a household is owed a housing duty by the council and is placed in temporary accommodation outside the borough, they will still be classed as living in the borough. This is because their residency is retained by virtue of the duty being owed.

Prefer to watch rather than read?

Watch a short video explaining this proposal, including the current scheme, the proposed change, why it is being considered, and what it could mean in practice.

At present, applicants cannot choose what home they would like to live in. Instead, the household with the highest need and longest waiting time is directly matched to the first property that becomes available that meets their needs.

We propose that some applicants will be able to express an interest in a potential new home by bidding on it. They will only be able to bid on properties that match their needs. Of the people who bid on a specific property, those with the highest need and longest waiting time will be invited to a viewing.

This proposal would apply to existing social housing tenants, households who have chosen to move out from temporary accommodation and into the private rented sector, and households who have applied directly to join the housing register, for example because they are living in overcrowded housing.

Bidding involves an applicant formally expressing an interest in viewing a property, with a wish to receive an offer from the council.

Current scheme

The current allocation scheme uses queues, bands, points and waiting time to decide who is offered a home.

Properties are usually offered to the applicant in the highest band who has been in that band for the longest. Any offer must be suitable and follow the Council’s annual Allocations Plan.

Applicants can tell the council what type of home they would prefer and which areas they would like to live in – this is known as expressing a preference. However, these preferences cannot always be met. The availability of suitable properties may affect and override what location and what type of property is offered to an applicant. Under the scheme the council can make an offer it considers suitable.

Proposal

We propose that existing social housing tenants seeking a transfer, homeless households who secure private rented housing, and direct applicants would be able to bid for suitable advertised properties. Households remaining in temporary accommodation would continue to receive direct matches based on their needs, band, points and waiting time.

Why are we proposing this change?

We want to give more choice to existing social housing tenants seeking a transfer, homeless households who have chosen moved into private rented housing and those on the housing register. They would be able to bid for suitable advertised homes. Households living in temporary accommodation would continue to be matched directly so that suitable homes can be offered quickly and limited housing is used as effectively as possible.

What this means

Some applicants would have choice over which suitable properties they bid for, while direct matching would continue for households in temporary accommodation.

This could make the process more transparent for some applicants as they are directly involved in expressing an interest in an available property, but would need clear support for people who may find bidding difficult.

Case study:

Scenario:

The Y family have approached the council as homeless and are living in temporary accommodation. They have been advised that, while it’s not possible to give definitive waiting times before they’d be made an offer of social housing, experience of other people in a similar position would suggest it’s going to take at least 8 years. They would prefer to live in a house, or a flat that’s on the first or second floor of a new-build development. However, when they eventually reach the point of being made an offer of social housing, they won’t have a choice of the property type or its location in the borough.

Currently:

The family would have to accept the property offered. It may well be on the 18^th floor of a council block built in the 1970s, in an area they’d wouldn’t have chosen, but the property meets their needs and it’s the right size for the family and is served by a lift. Other than preference, there’s no reason why they can’t live on this particular estate. If they refused the offer, the council would discharge its housing duty to them and their temporary accommodation would be ended.

If the proposal is adopted:

If the family moved into private rented sector (as outlined in Proposal 1), they would continue to be on the housing register. They could then bid for the properties they are interested in being considered for. This way they would have choice on their future social housing home, because they would only be bidding on the properties they liked.

Prefer to watch rather than read?

Watch a short video explaining this proposal, including the current scheme, the proposed change, why it is being considered, and what it could mean in practice.

At present, most single homeless households are predominantly only considered for studio flats, unless there’s a specific circumstances or underlying medical need that makes something larger essential. This means single homeless people have less choice of properties they can be considered for. Having less options can result in longer time spent in temporary accommodation.

We propose that some single homeless households would be able to qualify for a 1-bedroom flat, rather than just a studio. Studios will continue to be prioritised to single person households living in temporary accommodation through direct offer, where suitable.

Current scheme

Under the current scheme, single person households are assessed as requiring self-contained studio flat accommodation, except for specific groups including lone pregnant women, couples expecting their first child, people aged 60 or over, care leavers and single applicants accepted onto the Physical Disability Queue, who are assessed as requiring one-bedroom accommodation. The scheme also states that single person households may be offered either a studio flat or one-bedroom accommodation.

Proposal

Single homeless households are currently considered only for studio homes. We propose also considering them for one-bedroom homes, while continuing to prioritise suitable studios for direct offers to single people in temporary accommodation.

Why are we proposing this change?

At present, most single homeless households are mainly considered for studio flats. This limits the number and type of homes available to them and can mean a longer wait in temporary accommodation. We want some single homeless households to be considered for one-bedroom homes as well as studios, giving them more options. Studios would still be prioritised for single people in temporary accommodation and we would monitor the effect on the limited supply of one-bedroom homes, particularly accessible homes needed by disabled applicants.

What this means

Some single homeless applicants could be considered for a wider range of suitable homes, including one-bedroom properties where appropriate.

If agreed, the Council would monitor the effect on disabled applicants where adapted or accessible one-bedroom housing is limited and provide an alternative route where an offered home is unsuitable.

Case study:

Scenario:

Mr P is a 45-year old single man. He was owed a homeless duty by the council in 2024 and has been living in temporary accommodation for over 2 years. Although he has been assessed as being in priority need, there is no underlying medical reason why he has to be offered a 1-bedroom property.

Currently:

When it comes to the time to make Mr P an offer of social housing, this would only be for a studio flat. Mr P would like a 1-bedroom flat instead, but if he refused the studio flat offer, his housing duty would be discharged and his temporary accommodation ended.

If the proposal is adopted:

If Proposal 1 (above) were adopted, then Mr P would be able to move into private rented accommodation and retain the same priority he would have had if he stayed in temporary accommodation. However, if Proposal 3 (above) were also adopted, he would be able to bid for properties that he was interested in and met his need. In this circumstance, his options would also be extended to enable him to bid for 1-bedroom properties as well as studios.

Prefer to watch rather than read?

Watch a short video explaining this proposal, including the current scheme, the proposed change, why it is being considered, and what it could mean in practice.

At present, social housing tenants who downsize and free up two or more bedrooms are placed in Band A. This gives them the highest priority for rehousing, helping them move more quickly while making larger properties available for bigger households.

Tenants who downsize and free up one bedroom are placed in Band B, which still provides a high level of priority, although it is lower than Band A.

We propose extending Band A priority (highest banding) to all households who choose to downsize, irrespective of the number of bedrooms they release, as every larger property vacated creates an opportunity for someone else to move into.

Current scheme

Where a social housing tenant applies to downsize from a larger to a smaller property, the current scheme places the downsize transfer applicant in Band A, where two or more bedrooms would be released upon transfer.

Where downsizing tenants release one bedroom, they may be placed in Band B or in another relevant category depending on the queue.

Proposal

We propose giving Band A to a social housing tenant whose move to a smaller home releases at least one bedroom. Twenty-five additional points would be awarded for each bedroom released, helping prioritise moves that make larger homes available to families who need them.

Why are we proposing this change?

At present, tenants receive the highest priority for downsizing only if their move releases two or more bedrooms. We want to recognise that releasing even one bedroom can help another household move into a home that better meets its needs. Giving Band A to all tenants who downsize could encourage more moves and make larger homes available sooner. Awarding extra points for each bedroom released would still give greater priority to moves that free up the largest homes.

What this means

More downsizing applicants could receive the highest band where their move releases a family-sized home or helps make better use of social housing stock.

This may encourage more tenants to downsize and could release larger homes more quickly for overcrowded households.

Case study:

Scenario:

Family D live in a 4-bedroom council home. It matched their needs when they first moved there 20-years ago, but their children have since grown-up and left home. They are now wanting to move to a 2-bedroom home.

Family F are in a similar situation, except they live in a 3-bedroom council home. They are also wanting to move to a 2-bedroom property.

Currently:

Family D would receive the highest level of priority because their move would release a 4-bedroom family home. Family F would receive a lower level of priority because their move would only release a single bedroom, despite also freeing up a larger property for another household.

If the proposal is adopted:

Family F would receive the same highest priority banding as Family D. In a scenario where Family D and Family F both bid for the same 2-bed home, we would prioritise the release of the 4-bedroom property (Family D) over the 3-bedroom one (Family F). To enable this to happen, we will award 25 additional points to each bedroom released.