Devon Home Choice

Prioritising Applications

Your application will be placed into 1 of 5 housing need bands. This will be based on our assessment of your housing need, and whether or not you have a local connection to Devon.

The 5 housing need bands are as follows (see the Devon Home Choice policy on the Useful Information page  for further details):

Emergency Housing Need (A)

Your application will only be placed in the Emergency housing need band (A) if your need for housing is assessed as so exceptional that you must take priority over all other applicants. Substantial evidence must exist to award this priority.

The following are examples of the type of situations that would qualify:

• You have been assessed as having an Urgent health/wellbeing need
• You live in a home assessed as being in a state of emergency disrepair
• You need to move to escape violence or threat of violence, harassment or a traumatic event

High Housing Need (B)  

Your applicaton will be placed in the High housing need band (B) if you:

• Have been accepted as statutorily homeless by a Devon local authority
• Are threatened with homelessness and have been placed in the ‘Prevention of homelessness category by a Devon local authority
• Lack 2 or more bedrooms
• Have 2 children who lack a bedroom (e.g. a single parent with 2 children under 8 in a 1 bed home)
• Are a tenant of a Devon Home Choice partner landlord and are seeking to move to a home that is at least 2 bedrooms smaller
• Have been assessed as having a high health/wellbeing need
• Live in a home assessed as being in a state of High disrepair
• Have been assessed as ready for move on from supported housing
• Are an agricultural worker who needs to move-on from tied accommodation covered by the Agricultural Dwelling Housing Advisory Committee

You will also be awarded this priority if it is assessed that doing so:

• Meets a social need or supports the delivery of another service
• Leads to effective management of social housing within Devon

Medium Housing Need (C)

Your application will be placed in the Medium housing need band (C) if you:

• Lack 1 bedroom
• Are a tenant of a Devon Home Choice partner landlord and are seeking to move to a home that is 1 bedroom smaller
• Have been assessed as having a medium health/wellbeing need
• Live on or above the 3^rd floor with children aged under 8
• Need to move for work in Devon, where you would otherwise need to travel more than 30 miles (each way) from home to your place of work

Low Housing Need (D)

Your application will be placed in the Low housing need band (D) if you:

• Have been assessed as non priority and/or intentionally homeless by a Devon local authority
• Are rough sleeping, have no fixed abode or are 'sofa surfing'
• Have been assessed as having a low health/wellbeing need
• Share facilities, such as a toilet, bath, shower or kitchen
• Have parental responsibility for a child/children who stay with you regularly, where the child/children normally lives in another area
• Have received a valid notice to quit from your landlord
• Have a housing need but have no local connection to Devon
• Have been assessed as having deliberately worsened your circumstances

No Housing Need (E)

Your application will be placed in the No housing need band (E) if it is assessed that you live in a home that is adequate to meet your housing need.

More than 1 need for housing?

If you have more than 1 need this will be recognised as follows:

1. If you have 2 or more needs from different bands your application will be placed in the highest band
2. If you have 2 needs from same band you will receive a six month advance on your ‘band start date', to recognise the additional need
3. If you have 3 or more needs from same band your application will be placed in the next higher band

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