Housing Register Eligibility and Qualification

In order to register for Bucks Home Choice, an applicant must:

• Be aged 16 years or over (upon allocation of a property an applicant aged 16 or 17 years of age may be required to have a guarantor)

• Be eligible for an allocation of housing under Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996

• Qualify for the Bucks Home Choice scheme

Eligibility

Under Section 160ZA of the Housing Act 1996, an applicant will not be eligible for an allocation of housing if he/she is:

• A person subject to immigration control within the meaning of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 (unless he/she is of a class prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State)
 
• A person who falls within a class of persons from abroad who have been prescribed by the Secretary of State as being ineligible to be allocated housing accommodation by a local housing authority

• A person who falls into any other class of person prescribed by the Secretary of State as not qualifying to be allocated housing accommodation by a local housing authority

An applicant who is not eligible for an allocation of housing under Section 160ZA of the Housing Act 1996 cannot register with Bucks Home Choice regardless of the applicant’s personal circumstances. If you are not eligible and your immigration status changes you can make a new application at this time.

Qualification

Under Section 160ZA (7) a local housing authority may decide what classes of persons are, or are not, qualifying persons for an allocation of housing accommodation.

Bucks Home Choice policy prioritises applicants that have a local connection to a district area by way of living or working in the area for the qualifying time period and who have a recognised housing need. If you are in one of the following groups local connection criteria will not apply: 

• You are seeking accommodation solely for over 55’s

• You meet the criteria set out in the policy for current or former British Armed Forces personnel

• You are owed a full homeless duty by one of the District Councils in the Partnership

• You are a qualifying care leaver as set out in the policy

The Bucks Home Choice Policy deems that, regardless of local connection and/or housing need, an applicant will not qualify to join the scheme if they, or a member of their household have been found guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to consider them unsuitable to be a tenant. This includes applicants with serious unresolved rent arrears.

Applicants who own or part own a home, have exercised their right to buy a previous social rented property and those with savings and or income sufficient to source their own accommodation may also not qualify to join. There are a number of other persons who do not qualify to join and we recommend that you read the Bucks Home Choice Allocations Policy to see if you qualify to join.
 
The Bucks Home Choice Partnership reserves the right in exceptional circumstances to register a household with the scheme even if the household falls into one of the non-qualifying classes, some of which are set down above. Any decision will be based on the individual circumstances of the household concerned.
 
If you are accepted onto the register you will be placed in one of four priority bands, A – E. You will be notified of your priority band if your application has been assessed and you are eligible and qualify.