Situations where you can make applications for housing

There are a number of situations where you can make applications for housing, which are:

Medical grounds

If you need to move house due to medical reasons, either for yourself or someone who lives in the same house as you, you may be able to increase your banding on the Value Based Lettings.

You could be placed in reasonable preference or urgent need, depending on your circumstances. To apply you will need to complete the assessment form and return it with supporting information and proofs, which will enable the housing options team to process your application.

Overcrowding

If your home is overcrowded, the Council policy is to award overcrowding priority if you are one bedroom short, or two or more bedrooms short.

The Council has a bedroom standard, which is a standard number of bedrooms allocated to each household based on the number of people who live there, how old they are, if they are male or female or married.

A separate bedroom is allocated:

• Each married or cohabiting couple 
• Any other person aged 21 or over 
• Each pair of people aged from 1 to 20 years old, of the same gender 
• Each pair of children aged under 10, regardless of their gender 
• Adolescents aged from 10 to 20 of a different gender, who will qualify for their own bedroom

To apply you will need to complete the assessment form and return it with supporting information and proofs, which will enable the housing options team to process your application.

What supporting information does the Council need?

To process an application for either medical or overcrowding claims, you will need to supply the following information to the Council:

• Proof of Identity: This may include a Passport, Birth Certificate, Driving Licence or Home Office documents regarding leave to remain 
• Proof of Residency: This may include Council Tax bills with family members listed, personal bills such as bank statements or mobile phone contracts for each member of the household not listed on the Council Tax bill 
• Income documentation: Wage slips or official Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) letters with details of benefits claimed for all the family members who wish to move. These must be three months old or less

In addition, for medical claims you must supply Doctor, General Practitioner (GP) or Consultant letters.

Please supply any supporting letters you may have from medical professionals with your medical claim. If you don’t have one, you will need to include information on the medical condition you are suffering from on the application form. The letter must include details on diagnosis, medication details, issues you are experiencing in your current home and why you or your household would need to move. You will also need to give details on the impact that not moving would have. There may be a charge for this letter which the Housing Options service will not pay for. A very basic letter which doesn’t give the information the Council needs to assess your claim will not be accepted in your application.

For all applications, incomplete forms or a lack of information will prevent the process of an assessment and will mean applicant will be registered on the Value Based Lettings System as General Need only.