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.

• Emergency need to move (e.g. a life-threatening medical condition which is seriously affected by the applicant's current housing).

• Ex-armed service personnel with urgent housing needs.

• Social housing tenants with an emergency transfer need (e.g because of threats of violence in the current home).

• Housing have agreed to a Social Services@ recommendation to provide permanent accommodation to enable fostering or adoption.

• Council and housing association tenants downsizing to another social home with fewer bedrooms.

Urgent need to move for medical or welfare reasons, where current housing conditions are having a major adverse effect.

• Severe overcrowding - i.e. lacking at least 2 bedrooms.

• Private tenants living in conditions that pose a serious risk to health and safety which cannot be resolved by the landlord within 6 months.

• Council and housing association tenants in adapted properties they no longer need.

• Council and housing association tenants who need to move because of the redevelopment or are disabled and need adaptions to the property.

• Successors and tenants with a flexible tenancy approved by the council for a move to more appropriate accommodation.

• Ex-service tenants where there is a contractual re-housing obligation.

• Special quota schemes for young care leavers and people who need to move on from supported housing.

• People who need to move out of residential care into independent living.

• Older people moving to sheltered housing (this is generally for people aged 60 or over)

• Accepted homeless living in suitable temporary accommodation.

• Formerly homeless who accepted a qualifying offer of a privately-rented home.

• Homeless applicants since 8th November 2012 for 1 year following discharge of duty into a private rented sector home.

• Homeless but the council has not accepted a duty to re-house because there is no priority need because the applicant is found intentionally homeless.

• Households with a recognised housing need who either owe money to the council or partner housing associations or have deliberately damage their previous home.

• Households with a recognised housing need who have refused reasonable offer of accommodation **see our guidance about when it is reasonable to refuse a housing offer**

• Applicants who are assessed as having a significant housing need who living in the Borough of Harrow but have not been resident in the borough continuously for the last 5 years.

• With an identified housing need to whom the council give reasonable preference, where there has been a deliberate change in circumstances which has resulted in a worsening of a household’s circumstances. Eg. Moving from suitable accommodation into overcrowded accommodation or inviting other people to join the household and make in overcrowded

If you register for social housing in Harrow, but do not qualify for band A+,A,B or C, you will not be able to bid for properties through Locata.

**Band C - Non urgent - to see our guidance about when it is reasonable to refuse a housing offer, please Click Here