Our Policy - Hartlepool

Banding Assessment (from 11th November 2024)

Hartlepool Borough Council uses a Banding system to assess housing need. Your current housing circumstances will be assessed and you will be given the Band which reflects how urgently you need to move.

There are 4 Bands.

Band 1+

People owed the relief duty and in priority need currently placed in temporary accommodation

Band 1

People living in Hartlepool who are losing their home due to a Council led demolition or regeneration scheme
People assessed as statutorily homeless and in priority need
People who are owed the homelessness prevention or relief duty and in priority need
People at risk of domestic abuse
People leaving HM Armed Forces community
People who need to move on emergency medical grounds

Band 2

People who need to move on urgent medical grounds
People who are owed the homelessness prevention or relief duty but not in priority need
People assessed as ready for independent living
A household with a child in need or Care Leaver
Adoptive parents or prospective adoptive parents/foster carers
People living in unacceptable housing conditions
Applicants who are under-occupying 3 or 4+ bedroom family homes (social rented) by 1 or more bedrooms
People who are overcrowded by 2 or more bedrooms
HM Armed Forces Personnel identified as having an urgent need for housing within 5 years of discharge

Band 3

People who need to move due to high medical grounds
People who need to move on hardship grounds
People sharing facilities with persons not of the same household
People who are overcrowded by 1 or more bedroom

Band 4

People whose current home is adequate to meet their housing needs
People who have refused a reasonable offer of accommodation or worsened their own circumstances
People who are in rent arrears or have any housing related debt at the time that they apply to the housing register.
People with recent unspent convictions* or history of anti-social behaviour** at the time that they apply to the housing register.
People who do not meet the local connection criteria to Hartlepool.

* Recent unspent convictions will be considered those that have occurred in the 2 years prior to their housing application.

** Anti-social behaviour that has occurred more than 2 years prior to their housing application will be disregarded.

Bedroom Need Assessment

One bedroom will be considered suitable for:-

An Adult /Adult Couple;
Two children of the same sex under the age of 16;
Two children under the age of 10 regardless of their sex;
Any other person aged 16 or over*; or
Any other child that cannot be matched with the above.

Please note: This assessment does not include living room space unless there is a second living room which can be used as a bedroom and it does not breach health and safety standards. Where a bedroom is being used for another purpose e.g. study or toy room, its original function as a bedroom will be used in assessing the level of under occupation or overcrowding.

We will assess overcrowding and bedroom entitlement in accordance with the gender that a child is registered at birth with, unless medical evidence is provided to the contrary.

There may be some circumstances where a household is allowed an extra bedroom as detailed below:

Health reasons;
Bedroom for an overnight carer;
Joint custody or overnight access to a child/children; or
Prospective adopters and foster carers.

Where one of the above applies, evidence will be requested and an affordability check may need to be completed to make sure the applicant can afford the additional bedroom.

To qualify for an additional bedroom for a carer, the applicant must demonstrate that this care is provided by someone who would not otherwise live with the applicant, and if they are a relative or friend, they must be in receipt of Carers Allowance or Attendance allowance.

In addition, the Council’s Adult Social Care service should be able to provide evidence that the applicant needs a live-in carer, and where such support is not currently provided, that the applicant would qualify for funding for a live-in carer.

Where the Council is satisfied that there is a need for a live-in carer who is not already co-habiting with another member of the household, the household will qualify for an additional bedroom.

Where a parent does not provide the principal home but have evidenced access arrangements that include overnight stays, they will be eligible for a 2 bedroom property only. In exceptional cases involving many children consideration may be given for a 3 bedroom need. This will be considered on a case by case basis.

Where an applicant has overnight access arrangements, evidence of the arrangement will be required in the form of a Solicitor’s letter, Court documents or a Social Worker’s letter detailing the arrangement.

Where there is an amicable agreement between parents, a letter from each party concerned will be sufficient if no other form of confirmation is available. However, these applications will be dealt with on a case by case basis. If the applicant presents as homeless they will be assessed on their circumstances only.

Access to children will only be considered where the person is a parent whether natural or by adoption or has legal residence order of a child(ren).

For the purposes of the Allocations Policy, a child is defined as being under 18 years and being the natural or adopted child of the applicant or his/her partner, under 18 and subject to a legal residence order or under 18 and in the care of the Local Authority.

We regard an unborn child as though it is already in the household at 24 weeks. Evidence will need to be provided.

*Adult children may, in certain circumstance, not be given additional bedroom entitlement. This is where older siblings wish to continue to share a bedroom. Cases will be assessed on their individual circumstances.

Who will qualify to join the register?

Under the Localism Act 2011, we have the ability to decide who may not qualify for social housing in the area. People who fall into the following category may be assessed as ‘non-qualifying’:

An applicant (or a member of their household) who has been found guilty of unacceptable behaviour that is serious enough that a landlord would not offer them housing and that they remain unsuitable because of that behaviour.

We may regard the following as unacceptable behaviour for an applicant or any member of their household:

Criminal convictions*;
Significant housing debt** which includes rent arrears, mortgage arrears, court costs or rechargeable repairs;
Failing to keep to an agreed repayment plan in relation to housing debt;
Perpetrator of domestic abuse, racial abuse or harassment;
Perpetrator of abuse, violence or threats towards a member of staff;
History of anti-social behaviour; and
Providing false or misleading information.

*Spent convictions will not be considered during our assessment.

** Significant housing debt will be equivalent to 8 weeks and above chargeable rent arrears or 2 months mortgage arrears

Each case will be considered on an individual basis and exceptional circumstances will be considered. Before a decision is made to make an applicant non-qualifying, we will gather evidence such as references from current or previous landlords, rent statements, photographic evidence of damages, and information from Police/Probation or complete any other required investigations we need to complete to make our decision.

If an applicant is made non-qualifying, they will be informed in writing of the reasons for this decision and what can be done to rectify the situation. Applicants who have been made non-qualifying can request a review of this decision within 21 days of the date of the notification.

Applicants are expected to make an effort to modify their behaviour before they are able to re-apply to the housing register. This may include making and adhering to a repayment plan or evidence that they have not caused any further anti-social behaviour during a defined period.

Best use of housing stock

Houses and maisonettes of any size are categorised as family accommodation and will only be let to applicants who have their children living with them on a permanent, fulltime basis. Exceptions can be made, for example where children are on university courses and live away during term time or where there is a joint custody arrangement that has been evidenced.

Single people, couples or other households without children will only be allowed to bid for flats unless they are eligible for age restricted bungalows or adapted accommodation.

Local connection

Applicants will be counted as having a local connection to Hartlepool if they fit one or more of the following categories:

They have lived in Hartlepool for at least 2 years immediately prior to their housing application;
They have previously lived in Hartlepool for 3 consecutive years out of the past 5 years;
They have close family connections with someone living in Hartlepool for at least 5 years immediately prior to their housing application. A close family connection is defined as a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, legal guardian; or
Their permanent place of work (16 hours or more) for at least 12 months immediately prior to their application is located within

Applicants in temporary accommodation (e.g. probation hostels) will not usually have a local connection to that area unless they meet one of the criteria listed above or there are special circumstances, e.g. they have been placed into that accommodation by the Local Authority (Hartlepool) due to homelessness.

An applicant who is homeless, and Hartlepool Borough Council has accepted the main section 192(2) housing duty under the Housing Act 1996, and is not intending to refer the applicant to another Council, will be exempted from local connection requirements.

Applicants leaving the armed forces and victims of domestic abuse will not need to have a local connection. Divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of Service personnel who need to move out of accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence will also be exempted from local connection requirements. A local connection will be applied for these applicants.

Asylum seekers who have been dispersed to Hartlepool by the National Asylum Support service (NASS) and whose status changes to that of refugee, or asylum seekers who have been awarded exceptional or indefinite leave to remain whilst living in Hartlepool will be exempted from local connection requirements.

Where an applicant has left or will shortly leave an institution such as a prison, a secure unit or hospital, a rehabilitation centre or refuge, that is not in Hartlepool and the applicant was normally resident in Hartlepool for at least 2 years immediately prior to being accommodated in that institution will be exempted from local connection requirements.

A young person will have a local connection to Hartlepool if the Council has an ongoing duty to them as a care leaver, having been looked after by Hartlepool Children’s Services under section 29 of the Children Act 1989.

A care leaver aged under 21 who has been placed in Hartlepool by another local authority for at least 2 continuous years, including some time before they turned 16, will have local connection to Hartlepool.