FAQs

Every council must, by law, have a written Allocation Scheme that explains how it decides who qualifies for social housing (the Housing Register), how applications are prioritised, and how properties are allocated. The scheme must be reviewed every five years to ensure it remains up to date and fair. Harrow’s current Social Housing Allocation Scheme was last fully reviewed and approved by Cabinet in January 2021. This consultation forms part of the next scheduled review.

Harrow faces significant housing pressures:

• 2,175 households are currently on the Housing Register
•  Around 160 council homes and 130 housing association homes become available each year
• Current lettings meet only 13 per cent of total demand
• 57 per cent of all lettings are for one-bedroom or studio accommodation
• The average wait for a three-bedroom property is around 20 years. There are only 12 five-bedroom and 2 six-bedroom council homes in Harrow
• The last five-bedroom property was let in April 2018; the last six-bedroom in April 2014.

Because demand far exceeds supply, the review will ensure the scheme reflects Harrow’s housing pressures, makes best use of limited homes, and remains fair, transparent, and effective.

By law, councils must give 'reasonable preference' to the following groups when allocating social housing:

• Households living in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions
• Those needing to move due to a medical condition or disability
• Those needing to move for health or welfare reasons, including care leavers and those with high-level support needs
• Households needing to move due to hardship
• People who are homeless or at risk of homelessness

Residency criteria must not be applied to: UK Armed Forces veterans, survivors of domestic abuse, and care leavers.

The review proposes six main changes:

1. Reduce priority bands from 5 to 4
2. Increase direct offers (up to 50 per cent) for urgent or strategic cases
3. Clarify the continuous five-year residence rule
4. Revise the bedroom size policy
5. Review the approach to refusals
6. Define ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ more clearly in the scheme

 Each of these is explained in more detail in the FAQs below.

Harrow currently has five priority bands (A+, A, B, C-, C), which group applicants according to housing need. Over time, this has become complex and congested. The proposed four-band system will simplify the register and prioritise those in greatest need. The new structure will group applicants into Band 1 (urgent need), Band 2 (homelessness/welfare need), Band 3 (non-statutory homeless or insecure housing), and Band 4 (less than five years’ residency or discharged homelessness duty).

Current and proposed bandings in full:

Current Banding Structure

Proposed New Banding Structure

Examples of the changes:

Normally, social housing is allocated through Choice-Based Lettings, where applicants bid for properties.
The proposal allows up to 50 per cent of homes to be offered directly (without bidding) for:

• Urgent medical, welfare, or safety needs
• Strategic or operational reasons (e.g., decants, emergencies, safeguarding cases)
• Financial efficiency, reducing use of costly temporary accommodation

This flexibility would speed up allocations for households in critical need.

At present, applicants must have lived continuously in Harrow for at least five years to qualify for the Housing Register. 

The council is reviewing whether this rule should be increased, reduced or remain at five years to balance fairness, local connection, and housing demand.

Data from the housing register was analysed to identify which groups might be affected if the residency rule were extended to ten years:

  Key Findings:

• Around 17 per cent of current applicants would be affected by an increase from five to ten years.
• The analysis examined potential impacts by ethnicity and age group.

Impact by ethnicity:

• White Other: 7 per cent of applicants with ten or more years of residence, compared with 11 per cent with five to nine years. This group is likely to be most adversely affected.  
• White British: 14 per cent (ten or more years) compared with 10 per cent (five to nine years), likely to benefit most.
• Black African and Asian Other: largest overall cohorts, showing no significant positive or negative impact.

 Impact by age group:

• Under 45s: 54 per cent (five to nine years) versus 47 per cent (ten or more years) – most negatively affected.
• Ages 45–49: 12 per cent (five to nine years) versus 14 per cent (ten or more years) – likely to benefit.
• Ages 65+: 9 per cent (five to nine years) versus 11 per cent (ten or more years) – likely to benefit.

Overall, 17 per cent of the register would be affected if the rule were increased to ten years. The White Other and under-45 groups would experience the greatest disadvantage, while the White British and older age groups would likely benefit.

The proposal updates how bedrooms are allocated based on household make-up:

• Adults aged 18 and over will be treated as non-dependants (previously 21+)
• This brings Harrow in line with national homelessness guidance (Part 7 of the Housing Act)
• It also addresses fairness where adult children live at home and occupy rooms that could otherwise be reallocated

This change ensures consistency between housing and homelessness assessments.

Demand for social housing is very high, but some households are refusing reasonable offers. To reduce delays and ensure fair use of limited housing stock, the council proposes that if a reasonable offer is refused, the household will be suspended from the Housing Register for 12 months. This aims to encourage applicants to engage seriously with suitable offers, speed up allocations, and reduce reliance on temporary accommodation.

Some applicants may have urgent or unique situations not covered by standard policy rules.

The council plans to clearly define an ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ process in the revised scheme to make decisions fairer and more transparent.

This will ensure that any exceptions are applied consistently and only where genuinely necessary.

The consultation will run for seven weeks (from Monday 13 October to Monday 1 December).

 All feedback will be reviewed and used to inform the final version of the scheme, which will then be presented to Cabinet for approval.

Once approved, the new Allocation Scheme will replace the current 2021 version.