After you join the housing register, you or your household will be placed in one of five bands. Four are priority bands and one is a general needs band.
Households placed in band one need housing most urgently. Households in band two have a higher need than those in band three, and so on.
What is a priority?
Priority within the scheme may be awarded to those households whose circumstances are such that they have urgent need for housing.
Who awards priorities?
The award of priority must be authorised by the appropriate Neighbourhood Office Manager or Panel. In the case of homeless or community care cases a decision will be made by the appropriate manager within the section.
How do priority cases get shortlisted?
When more than one member with priority has expressed interest in a property, we look at the highest priority band first. If there is more than one of the same priority band we then look to the longest awarded Priority Date.
Will I be able to appeal against any decision made?
Reviews and appeals are dealt with via 'Your Right to a Review' document available from all neighourhood services centres.
Priority Bands
This is how housing priority bands for households are decided. The band you are given depends on your circumstances.
Band One (including Additional Preference)
- Prohibition Order
- Cat One Hazards (private sector)
- Property is significant risk to health
- Demolition/CPO where occupant is vulnerable
- No access to essential facilities EG bathroom /kitchen
- Medical priority-extremely urgent and immediate need to move (see D5.2)
- Domestic abuse/extreme violence/extreme harassment
- Witness Protection (police recommendation)
- Prevention of children taken or remaining in care/corporate parenting responsibilities. Includes where SGO in place and require appropriate housing
- Potential foster carers, approved by Sandwell Children’s Trust, who need more bedrooms or existing Sandwell Children’s Trust foster carers expanding number of children placed
- Armed forces personnel in urgent housing need
- Care Leavers ready to move out of care or ready for move-on
- Under-occupying by 2 bedrooms
- Under-occupying a house
Band Two
- Homeless main duty
- Homeless-Relief duty
- CPO/Demolition
- Overcrowded by 2 bedrooms
- Medical Priority
- Move-on from supported/refuge accommodation - applies to selected local providers
- Households releasing a Sanctuary scheme property
- Under-occupiers by one bedroom directly affected by spare room subsidy - only applies to lets after 17/04/2013
- Households releasing an adapted property
- Non-successor left in occupation
Band Three
- Homelessness prevention duty
- Overcrowded by one bedroom
- Welfare/Hardship Priority people who need to move to a particular locality
- Under-occupying a flat/maisonette by one bedroom
- Children in flats or maisonettes above first floor
- Service Tenants due to terminate within 6 months
Band Four
- Intentionally Homeless
- Homeless unintentionally but where refused suitable offer (duty discharged)
- Council or RSL tenants releasing a ground floor flat
Band Five
- All other Households who do not fall within any of the priority need categories 1 to 4
Priority banding can be reviewed at any time to assess the current relevance of the priority.
Periodic assessment of bidding activity can also be undertaken to review and amend any priority awarded