Housing Allocations Policy

How Points Are Awarded - A Summary*

CATEGORY	NUMBER OF POINTS
Overcrowding	10 points for each additional bedroom the household needs
Sharing amenities with another household	8 points for each amenity shared
Living in unsatisfactory housing conditions	10 points for each amenity lacked or fault suffered
Insecurity of Tenure Points	Refer to detailed rule
Homeless Points	Refer to detailed rule
Medical points	Refer to detailed rule
Waiting Time	2 points for every 6 months on the waiting list.
Living in tied accommodation	Refer to detailed rules
Discharged from prison.	Refer to detailed rules
Living in a caravan, boat or bus	Refer to detailed rules
No fixed abode	24 points

* For detailed rules see the relevant section.


OVERCROWDING

For the purpose of this policy, overcrowding occurs where the applicant's household requires more bedrooms than are available in his/her accommodation to meet his/her housing need.

The applicant shall be awarded 10 points for each additional bedroom to meet the household's needs as specified in section 'What size of Accommodation can be chosen?'

Notes
Points for overcrowding will not be awarded to applicants who are the owners of, or tenants of, or otherwise have a legal right to occupy a property where the overcrowding has been caused by another household moving into the applicant’s property.

An applicant who deliberately moves into another household’s accommodation, thereby causing an overcrowded situation to arise, will not be entitled to points for overcrowding for one year from the date they moved into that accommodation.

If a property contains a dining or second public room, such a room will be counted as a bedroom available to the applicant’s household.

Where an applicant allows a new overcrowding situation to arise at their existing address after their application has been submitted, no points for overcrowding will be granted for a period of one year from the date the overcrowding occurred, except where it is due to the birth of a child to the applicant/partner, permanent custody of a child to the applicant/partner or the formation of a new family unit by marriage/cohabitation.

No points for overcrowding will be awarded to the applicant where another household causing overcrowding has a housing application lodged with South Ayrshire Council.

Overcrowding points are calculated on the basis that all rooms in a property, except the living room, bathroom, kitchen and toilet are available for use as bedrooms.

Applicants who require 4 or more bedrooms but choose to be held for 3 bedrooms (due to a lack of 4 bedroom properties) will not be eligible for the overcrowding points due above 3 bedrooms unless there are no 4 bedroom properties in their chosen letting districts.

See also section on four bedroom properties and other general rules

SHARING AMENITIES WITH ANOTHER HOUSEHOLD

Applicants who share any, or all, of the following amenities, with people who are not part of their own household, shall be awarded points at the rate of 8 points for each amenity shared, up to a maximum of 24:

Kitchen
Bath or Fixed Shower
Inside W.C.

Joint tenants in the private rented sector who apply separately and who are not part of the same household shall qualify for shared amenity points.

See also other general rules

LIVING IN UNSATISFACTORY HOUSING CONDITIONS

Points shall be awarded to applicants living in private rented accommodation where their accommodation lacks any of the amenities and/or suffers from any of the faults listed below at the rate of 10 points for each amenity lacked or fault suffered.

Lack of Amenities:

Kitchen
Bath or Fixed Shower
Inside W.C.
Hot and Cold Water Supply

Faults:

An Environmental Health Officer shall investigate any fault(s) and report to the Area Housing Manager who shall determine the application.