Birmingham changes expected to remove 4,000 from housing waiting list

From April 2017, applicants hoping to join the council’s housing waiting list will have to “qualify”, submitting a form which will be assessed to determine housing need and priority.

Birmingham City Council is one of the UK’s largest social housing providers and currently operates an open waiting list which allows anyone to apply, regardless of assessed housing need.

A senior housing official at the council told Inside Housing that it was hard to predict the impact of the changes, but said the number of households with live applications is forecast to reduce from current levels of around 18,000 to approximately 14,000 once the new scheme has come into effect.

Those already on the list will be required to reapply for housing.

In a statement, Peter Griffiths, cabinet member for housing and homes at Birmingham City Council, said: “For too long we have had a meaningless waiting list of thousands of people who in reality will never be made an offer of a council house or registered provider’s home. 

“This new scheme will give a fair assessment of someone’s housing need and a realistic evaluation of whether they have sufficient priority to get a home.”

Households will not qualify for the allocation list if they have savings of above £16,000 or an annual income above £57,880, or no local connection to Birmingham.

Applicants who refuse two suitable offers of social housing – defined as an adequately sized home in an area where the household is not at risk – will be disqualified from applying to the list for 12 months.

Those who have demonstrated “unacceptable behaviour or actions” in the past, including serious breaches of tenancy agreements and committing a crime in a property, may also be barred from the waiting list.

According to the official Housing Allocation Scheme Summary document, these criteria may be overlooked in “extreme exceptional circumstances, for example where there is a threat to life and no other housing options are available”.

The new policy also makes changes to what the council takes into account when assessing need for housing. For instance, having to share facilities will no longer be considered a factor for people living with their parents.

People can also join the waiting list with lower priority if they do not have a housing need but are disabled, over 55 or ex-Armed Forces members who have lived in Birmingham for at least six months before enlisting and want to move.

Priority will be determined using a four-band system under the new scheme, categorising households based on the council’s assessment of their need for housing.