We manage the housing register based on people’s circumstances and needs. For example, a family with serious medical needs will be prioritised over a single person with no extra needs.  

It is not run on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.  

Other things that affect how long someone might wait include: 

• their rehousing band 
• the number of bedrooms and type of property they need 
• what part of the borough they want to live in 
• whether someone in their family is disabled and needs an accessible property, such as a ground-floor flat 

We assess people’s circumstances and put them in a group, known as a ‘band’. Some bands are called ‘priority bands’ and those are for people who have been assessed as having certain needs. 

Once you are in a band, you can apply for the properties that are suitable for your band. When you apply for a property, this is known as ‘bidding on’ a property. 

There is a very high demand for housing and only a few available properties, so there are usually hundreds of bids on each property. 

When the property reaches the bidding deadline, we look at the circumstances of everyone who has made a bid on a property and put them in order of priority. We then offer the property to the person in the highest band that has waited the longest time.