Housing Allocation Scheme 2023

The council’s Housing Allocation Scheme 2023 updates the previous scheme which was implemented in 2014 and amended in 2017.

The Housing Allocation Scheme sets out how residents can join the Housing Register, how the council prioritises residents for social housing, and how we let social housing, that is, council and housing association homes.

The new scheme has been developed in consultation with residents, stakeholders and staff, and aims to make the best use of a limited supply of social housing to help those most in housing need.

Key changes

The new scheme includes a number of key changes, including:

bands for priority points to provide greater clarity to residents on their position on the Housing Register
recognising the Grenfell-related priorities that can be awarded to residents
ten additional waiting points for each year someone has waited to be rehoused
increased priority for under-occupiers and those moving from accessible homes
new priority category for residents who choose the private rented sector instead of long-term temporary accommodation
ending paid work points for new applications
having quotas and special rehousing pathways: targets for letting a percentage/number of available homes to different types of housing need, rather than only to those with the highest number of points
chain lettings approach whereby multiple lettings are created once a home becomes available to let
home preferences: certain households can set preferences for the type of home they want to be offered

Scheme details

The Housing Allocation Scheme 2023 is attached below. Alongside it, the summary/FAQ document provides a summary of the Housing Allocation Scheme and answers some frequently asked questions. The summary of changes table compares the points awarded under the new and previous schemes, highlighting the main changes.

Consultation

We spent a long time talking to residents, resident panels and local advice agencies when deciding what the new scheme should look like. We carried out two sets of formal consultation: Housing Allocations Scheme 2023 - Kensington and Chelsea's Consultation and Engagement Hub - Citizen Space