Changes to how council homes are allocated

Our updated Housing Allocations Policy comes into effect on 22 April 2025.

With huge demand for council homes and other social housing in the city, the aim of the policy is to make sure available homes go to those in the greatest housing need. 

It sets out the conditions required to qualify for the housing register and how applicants are prioritised.

Since the city’s previous Housing Allocations Policy was approved in 2016, significant legislative changes have been introduced, including the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Changes to the policy aim to help create more opportunities to prevent homelessness, reduce reliance on temporary accommodation and create more options for social housing tenants fleeing domestic abuse.

The changes also offer greater transparency for applicants and more choice for households that meet the legal definition of overcrowded.

We will be writing to people already on our housing register if there’s any change to their application as a result of the policy being updated.

Updates to the Housing Allocations Policy

The changes were agreed at the Cabinet meeting in October 2024.

One key change is to allow households at risk of being made homeless to join the housing register sooner. Previously, homeless households could only join once the council accepted a full housing duty for them.

Additionally, if a household secures alternative accommodation while homeless or at risk of homelessness, they will remain on the housing register as long as they continue to qualify. We anticipate this will help reduce the number of households living in temporary accommodation in the city.

Other changes include simplifying the housing register queuing system, increased priority for some armed forces households and changing the residency criteria so that applicants must have lived in Brighton & Hove for 5 out of the last 7 years.

Previously, applicants must have lived in Brighton & Hove for 5 years or longer, without a break. This change aims to support people who may have had to temporarily move out of the city, for example to care for relatives.

Fairer framework

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet member for Housing and New Homes, said: “Brighton & Hove has been significantly impacted by the national housing crisis and we’re seeing record numbers of residents presenting as either homeless or threatened with homelessness.

“We’re working on building more council homes to meet this demand, but in the meantime, we must ensure we’re making the best use of council and housing association homes in the city.

“Social housing is an incredibly valuable resource, and it’s crucial that we ensure those who are in the greatest need are awarded the highest priority on the housing register.

“We need a robust system to manage this process, and changing our housing allocations policy provides us with a fairer framework, so that available council homes go to the people who need them most.”

Consultation and engagement

Public consultation on the Housing Allocations Policy was held between March and June 2024 and generated 684 responses. The feedback helped shape the final changes to the policy.

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