Priority Bands
Pennine Housing will use a banding scheme to prioritise KeyChoice Registration forms.
All housing and transfer applications received for rented accommodation will be assessed and placed in one of 4 bands, shown below. The table below sets out the banding scheme and gives examples of those applicants who would be eligible to be placed in each band.
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GOLD BAND
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- Households that have been accepted by Calderdale Council as unintentionally homeless and in priority need with a local connection with Calderdale;
- People who need to move urgently on medical or welfare grounds;
- 16/17 yr old Care Leavers who will continue to be supported by the Calderdale NCH Leaving Care team or Foundation Housing;
- Existing tenants of Registered Social Landlords in Calderdale who are required to leave their property to allow for major improvement work, disposal or demolition. Also people in owner occupied and privately rented homes in Calderdale who will be displaced by renewal area or regeneration schemes;
- People living in a property that has been served with a clearance or closing order by Calderdale Council;
- People who occupy properties served with a Prohibition Notice by Calderdale Council and where discussions with the relevant Environmental Health Officer support the decision to award priority.
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SILVER PLUS
BAND
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- To be awarded Silver Plus priority members have to qualify for two or more of the following categories from the Silver Band.
- People who need to move on medical or welfare grounds;
- People occupying unsanitary or overcrowded housing or otherwise living in unsatisfactory conditions;
- People who need to move to a particular locality in the district to avoid hardship.
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SILVER BAND
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BRONZE BAND
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- All other eligible members with no housing need i.e only the desire to move home
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Priority Within Bands [Top]
Within each band applications will be placed in date order, with the application with the oldest date having the highest priority. The date that is normally used is the date your application was registered with us (Bronze Only); Members of other bands will have their date from when they entered into the higher band.
Moving Between Bands
If your circumstances change and you move up a band, the date used will normally be the date you moved into that band. If you move down a band the date used will be the date that you were previously in that band.
Time Limits [Top]
If your application is placed in the GOLD BAND, your priority status will normally be limited to 3 months unless you meet the criteria where by you have to move from your home due to 'major improvements'. In this instance your priority will be for 6 months. All members of the Gold Band will have their own case worker from Pennine Housing 2000 or Calderdale Housing Advice Centre, who will monitor the progress of each application. Members with homeless priority will be expected to actively bid for suitable properties. If no bids are made within 4 weeks of the priority being awarded then the caseworker will bid for properties on the members behalf.
For members' that are awarded SILVER BAND for meeting the Homeless Prevention criteria, these members' will receive their priority for 8 weeks, prior to an investigation being completed by Calderdale Housing Advice Centre.
Multiple Housing Needs [Top]
In cases where you can demonstrate that you have a wide range of needs that when considered together meet the criteria for SILVER PLUS, your application may be given additional preference and moved to this band or higher.
Local Connection [Top]
In a number of areas of Calderdale, a combination of high house prices, shortage of social housing and loss of stock due to Right to Buy and Right to Acquire, have made it increasingly difficult for local people, or people who need to live in those areas to find suitable accommodation.
In the Parishes of: Blackshaw, Erringdon, Hebden Royd (part only), Heptonstall, Ripponden and Wadsworth, a proportion of properties becoming vacant will be advertised on the basis that preference will be given to people with with a local connection with the area.
Members without a local connection to these areas will be able to apply for housing and bid for available homes in these areas, but
preference will be given to those with a local connection.
You will have a local connection with an area if you satisfy any of the following criteria:
- You have lived in the area for the previous 12 months;
- You have lived in the area for a continuous period of 10 years;
- You have permanent employment in the area;
- You have immediate family in the area, who have lived there for the previous 5 years;
- You need to live in the area to provide essential support to a permanent resident and there is no other person able to do this; Or
- You need to move into the area to receive essential support from a permanent resident and there is no other way of receiving such support.
Deliberately Worsening Circumstances [Top]
If there is evidence that you have deliberately worsened your circumstances in order to qualify for higher priority under the scheme, no additional priority will be given.