Housing Register Policy - Summary of Points

A summary of points awarded when applying for housing. Points can be awarded to your application under the following headings.

Please use the drop down arrows to expand each heading.

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Summary of points - Waiting

Waiting points:

Points awarded
2 Points are awarded for each year you are on the housing register to a maximum of 10. 0-10

Your application can be awarded points for having either a residence or employment District connection with East Herts, but not both.

Residence

Summary of Points - Residence

Residence

50 POINTS will be awarded if your application meets one of the following conditions, proof will be required:

Points awarded
The applicant is currently resident in the East Herts area and has lived in the area continuously for the preceding 12 months. 50
The applicant is owed a main housing duty under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 by East Herts Council 50
The applicant is an elderly person (over 60 years) and has lived in East Herts for 10 years at any time in the past and has a close relative (defined as parents, adult children or adult brothers or sisters) currently residing who has been resident continuously for a period of at least five years prior to the date of the application. 50

Employment

Summary of points - Employment

Employment

30 POINTS will be awarded if your application meets one of the following conditions, proof will be required:

Points awarded
The applicant is working, for at least 16 hours per week, for a company in East Herts and has done so for at least one year. 30

Other residency

Summary of points - Other residency

Other residency

20 POINTS will be awarded if the applicant meets the following condition, proof will be required:

Points awarded
The applicant lives outside East Herts and has parents, adult children or adult bothers or sisters who currently reside in East Herts and they have been resident continuously for the preceding five years. 20

Summary of points - Bedroom requirements

Bedroom requirements

We give 20 points for each bedroom you need but don't have. In deciding the minimum number of bedrooms required the following guidelines apply:

Points awarded
  • Each adult couple or single parent - 1 bedroom (double/2 bed spaces)
  • Any other adult (aged 16 or over) - 1 bedroom (single)
  • Two boys or two girls aged under 16 - 1 bedroom (double/2 bed spaces)
  • One child either a boy or a girl aged 10-15 - 1 bedroom (single)
  • Two children aged 0-9 whatever their sex - 1 bedroom (double/2 bed spaces)

Assured tenants of an existing East Herts social tenancy, who wish to transfer to a smaller property, will have 20 points allocated to their application for each bedroom that is freed up by the move. (The Council will take into account at least the minimum number of bedrooms guidelines when deciding on the number of points to be awarded).

 20

Summary of points - Statutory Overcrowding

Statutory overcrowding:

Points awarded
If you are Statutorily overcrowded  20

Summary of points - Shared Facilities

Shared facilities:

Points awarded
A maximum of 24 points will be awarded if you share a bathroom, kitchen or toilet with people not on your application. For example if you share a kitchen and bathroom with 2 people not on your application you will be awarded 4 points.

0-24

15 points maximum, in steps of 5 points will be awarded in consultation with the Council’s Environmental Health Service.

Detail

Points

Property found to have multiple Category 1 hazards requiring the Environmental Health Team to take the appropriate enforcement action in relation to the hazards.

 15 points
Property found to have a Category 1 hazard and/or multiple Category 2 hazards requiring the Environmental Health Team to take the appropriate enforcement action in relation to the hazards. 10 points
Property found not to have any Category 1 hazards, but Category 2 hazards (band D, E or F) exist and the Environmental Health Team are intending to take the appropriate enforcement action in relation to the hazard. 5 points
Property found not to have any Category 1, or significant Category 2 hazards and the Environmental Health Service do not intend to take enforcement action. 0 points

Summary of points - Lack of Facilities

Lack of facilities

Points are awarded in the following circumstances:

Points awarded
No bath or shower in bathroom 5
No kitchen facilities 10
No toilet 10
No inside toilet 5
No piped water supply 10
No hot water supply 5
No electricity 10

Summary of points - Caravan, mobile home or boat

Caravan, mobile home or boat:

Points awarded
If your only residence is a caravan, mobile home or boat 5

Summary of points - Limited means

Limited means:

Points awarded
If you are on a means tested benefit or if you have insufficient income to secure your own accommodation. 10

Summary of points - Children or pregnancy

Children or pregnancy:

Points awarded
5 points for a first confirmed pregnancy or 10 points if you have a dependent child or children aged 18 years or less who live with you permanently. An application can only have a maximum of 10 points. 5-10

Summary of points - Medical assessment

Medical assessment

If there are medical circumstances or you have a disability that is affected by your current accommodation points are awarded by our medical advisor as follows:

Points awarded
No priority 0
Low priority (low detriment to health) 5
Low to medium priority (moderate detriment to health) 10
Medium priority (chronic health conditions) 15
High priority (serious detriment to health) 25
Urgent priority (not life threatening) 50
Urgent priority (life threatening) 75

Additional Points of 10, 20, 30 or 50 points can be awarded to applicants who have had points awarded to their application because they fall into one of the five reasonable preference categories (see the full Housing Register and Allocations Policy) and they also meet one of the following two criteria:

Summary of points - Armed Forces

Armed Forces

If the applicant is from one of the following four categories of Armed Forces persons defined by the Government: 

Points awarded
Former members of the Armed Forces, that have been honorably discharged and make an application within 5 years of discharge. 10, 20, 30 or 50
Serving members of the Armed Forces who need to move because of a serious injury, medical condition or disability sustained as a result of their service. 10, 20, 30 or 50
Bereaved spouses and civil partners of members of the Armed Forces leaving Services Family Accommodation following the death of their spouse or partner. 10, 20, 30 or 50
Serving or former members of the Reserve Forces who need to move because of a serious injury, medical condition or disability sustained as a result of their service. 10, 20, 30 or 50
Summary of points - Foster and adopters

Foster and adopters:

Points awarded
Applicants who have been approved to foster or adopt by Herts County Council maybe eligible for the award of Additional Preference points if they are in housing need and their accommodation needs can be realistically met by an offer of accommodation. 10, 20, 30 or 50

Summary of points - Social factors

Social factors:

50 POINTS MAXIMUM in steps of 10, 15, 25, 35, 50 can be awarded where applicants need to move on welfare grounds or if they need to move to a particular locality within the district to avoid hardship to themselves or others. More detail is available in the full Housing Register and Allocations Policy.

Points awarded
  • Need to move on hardship grounds - support or employment
  • Moving on from Care
  • Move on from Supported Housing projects
  • Urgent need to move
 10, 15, 25, 35, 50

Summary of points - No fixed abode

No fixed abode:

Points awarded
If you have no fixed abode or are roofless. Where points are awarded for No Fixed Abode points will not be awarded for either lack of facilities, sharing of facilities or lacking bedroom(s) 40

Summary of points - Security of accommodation

Security of accommodation

Points will be awarded as follows:

Points awarded
If the applicant is owed the S193(2) Main Duty and the 189 (B) Relief Duty has come to an end. If the applicant is in temporary accommodation provided by East Herts Council an additional 10 points will be awarded to the application each month, starting from one month after the date of the S193(2) Main Duty decision if a property has not been bid for successfully under CBL, up to a maximum of 20 points.

70

10, 20
Applicants who are homeless and are owed the S189B Relief Duty and would be owed or likely to be owed the S193 (2) Main Duty when the Relief Duty came to an end because they are, or would be likely to be, in priority need and unintentionally homeless. 60
If the applicant is housed, by East Herts Council, as homeless in private sector leased accommodation and is owed or is likely to be owed the S193(2) Main Duty when the 189B Relief Duty came to an end because they are or would likely to be in priority need and unintentionally homeless. 40
Applicants likely to lose accommodation from a Notice or Order in 2 months. Applicant owed a S195 Prevention Duty or a S189(B) Relief Duty but are unlikely to be owed the Section 193 (2) Main Duty if the Prevention Duty or any 189 (B) Relief duty that followed were to end unsuccessfully. 25

Applicants accepted for a S195 Prevent Duty including because  they are likely to lose accommodation from a Notice or Order in 2 months.

For applicants owed the S195 Prevention Duty and would likely to be owed the Section 193(2) Main duty if both the Prevention Duty and any 189(B) Relief Duty that followed were to end unsuccessfully and they would be, or would be likely to be, found to be in priority need and unintentionally homeless an additional 35 prevention points at one month from the date of acceptance of the Prevention Duty or notice expiring will be awarded  taking the total points to 60.

20

An additional 35
If an applicant is in temporary, supported accommodation, prison or institutional care or if an applicant continues to occupy temporary accommodation, provided by East Herts Council, following a decision of no Main housing duty or Relief Duty. 25
If an applicant is likely to lose accommodation in 1 year. These points will be awarded to all applicants in assured shorthold tenancies whether or not notice has been given by the landlord. 10

If the application is from an assured tenant of an East Herts social tenancy (sole or joint) who will vacate their existing home to transfer to another social tenancy by bringing the current tenancy to an end and giving vacant possession of the property to the landlord. These points are awarded to an application after one year of moving into the current home, whether it is an introductory or assured tenancy, from which the application is being made.

 20
If you are an applicant whose home in East Herts is subject to a Demolition or Closing Order or possession under the Rent (Agricultural) Act 1976. 200
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