Priority Bands

When you register for a transfer or for re-housing as a home seeker, your application will be assessed by your landlord or Council. You will be placed in one of the priority bands described below.

If you disagree with your priority band you can ask the landlord or Council, which holds your registration details, to review your banding.

When bids are considered for advertised properties, priority will be given to bids from people in the highest priority band. If people from the same priority band bid for the same property the person with the earliest priority date will be considered first.

If your priority band is increased at any stage, your priority date will be the date you went in to the higher priority band. If you move back to a lower band, your priority date will revert to the date that applied when you were previously in that lower band or any earlier date when you were in a higher band (usually your original registration date).

Below is a general guide to the Priority Bands. However, this does not represent a definitive list of categories and you should speak to your housing department or housing office with whom you have registered if you would like precise information about how the scheme applies to you.

Changes have been made to Ealing Council’s Allocation Policy. The Banding system explained here is different for Ealing Applicants and Tenants. For further information please visit www.ealing.gov.uk to access the Allocations Scheme Policy.

Band A – (Emergency/Top Priority)

• You have a life-threatening medical condition, which is seriously affected by your current housing, or some other emergency need to move.

• You are homeless, in priority need and in temporary accommodation and the landlord wants the property back, or the temporary accommodation is not suitable for you and it is not possible to find you suitable further temporary accommodation.

• Housing have agreed to a recommendation by Social Services that you need to be provided with permanent accommodation to ensure fostering or adoption.

• You are a Council or Housing Association
tenant whose life is threatened if you remain in your home because of violence; please note that this applies to Council/Housing Association tenants only.

• You are an ex-service tenant whom the Council has a contractual obligation to re-house.
You are a Council or Housing Association tenant who needs to move because your home is about to be demolished or redeveloped.

• You are a Council or Housing Association tenant who needs to move to an adapted property and it is in the landlord’s interest for you to move.

• You are a Council or Housing Association tenant in an adapted property you no longer need but which could be used by someone else.

• You are a Council or Housing Association tenant of a property with two or more bedrooms and you are willing to move to a one-bedroom home or give up two bedrooms.

• You are a successor to a Council tenancy and approved for a move to a studio or one bed or you are giving up 2 or more bedrooms.

• You are occupying a property, which is subject to a compulsory purchase order and/ or where the Council has a Statutory Duty to move you.

Band B – (Urgent Need to Move)

• You have an urgent need to move for medical or social reasons, as approved by your landlord.

• You have an urgent need to move because of harassment or threat of violence; (please note that this applies to Council/Housing Association tenants only).

• You are homeless, the Council has accepted a duty to rehouse you, and you are staying in bed & breakfast or a hostel or temporarily with family or friends.

• You have dependant children and are living in insecure accommodation with no bedroom and lacking or sharing amenities.

• You need to move on from care or supported housing and rehousing has been agreed under a special quota scheme.

• You are a Council or Housing Association tenant occupying larger accommodation, but are willing to give up a surplus bedroom, but still need two or more bedrooms.

• You are a Council or Housing Association tenant and your home is to be demolished or redeveloped, or you are statutorily overcrowded or it has been agreed that you need to move for other management reasons.

• You are a successor to a council tenancy and approved for a move to smaller accommodation comprising 2 or more bedrooms.

• You are an ex-tenant whom the Council, at the time you relinquished a former tenancy, undertook to re-house at a future date.

Band C – (Identified Housing Need)

• You need to move for medical reasons, or because of unsatisfactory housing conditions, such as overcrowding or unsanitary conditions, as approved by your registering partner.

• Your need to move has been identified in a Social Services care plan or has been agreed with Social Services as a means of relieving social hardship.

• You are an elderly person moving to sheltered housing.

• You are homeless but do not qualify for Band A or B.

Band D

• All other Transfer Tenants and Home Seekers not in the above priority bands A, B or C.

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