Home Choice - Allocations Policy (Summary)

How Home Choice Works

Home Choice encourages our customers to have a real choice in where they want to live. Home Choice works closely with other housing providers, for example Housing Associations. We can therefore give advice on a range of housing options.

All applications accepted on the Home Choice Register will be included in either a ‘Priority’ or ‘Customer Choice’ Band.

Initially, applications will be assessed to see if the circumstances fall into one of the priority groups below :

Reasonable Preference /Priority Band Categories

If the application falls within one of the categories above, it will be included in the ‘Priority band’.

Applicants in the Priority band will be ordered by date of application (except for homeless applicants in temporary accommodation and urgent medical cases who would be given priority over other applicants).

All other applicants not falling into one of these reasonable preference groups will be placed into the ‘Customer Choice’ Band.

Priority band

A percentage of all our properties are kept for customers with priority to ensure that those in most urgent need are rehoused quickly.

When a property becomes available we will shortlist the top five applicants who are in the priority band and send letters out to all five customers at the same time.

Applicants are given a number of days to respond to the letter. We will allocate the property to the applicant who responds in the time given, who is nearest the top of the list.

Applicants with priority can also express interests in Choice properties (see below) in order to be rehoused quickly.

Choice properties

A certain percentage of all properties are advertised on a first come first served basis. These properties will be advertised in our Home Choice Property Shop, on the internet, at area offices , Rochdale Council customer service centres and other bases. Applicants can also ring our freephone hotline (tel 0800 091 2248) to check what properties are available.

All applicants can apply for Choice properties.

Allocations Policy
Policy Statement
About Home Choice
Applying for rehousing with Home Choice
Eligibility for rehousing
16/17 year olds
Out of town applicants
Types of property offered
Reviewing Immediate and Urgent Need
Local Allocations Policies
Assignments and Successions
Joint Tenants
Equal Opportunities and Valuing Diversity