Clackmannanshire Council Online

Council Housing Allocations Policy

Council Housing Allocations Policy

When you apply for a Council Home, we will assess your application in line with the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy. The policy details your housing options, explains how we assess housing need and outlines the process for handling your application. 

How do I apply?

To apply for a Council property and join the waiting list, please complete our registration form. You can apply in the following ways:
You can apply by:

• Contacting us by telephone
• Post
• Emailing us
• Online

We operate a Common Housing Register in partnership with Ochil View Housing Association, meaning you can join the Council Housing waiting list by applying to either organisation.

To assess your application, we will need you to provide all relevant information, including:

• Personal details such as age, gender, and your relationship with other members of your household.
• Your current housing situation, including evidence of insecure tenure (if you may lose your home), homelessness or potential homelessness, overcrowding, or housing that is below the tolerable standard or lacking essential amenities.
• Any specific housing needs due to health, care, or support requirements, such as mobility issues.

We may ask you for some supporting information, we will tell you what we need and why. 

Clackmannanshire Council, like all local authorities in Scotland, is experiencing a very high demand for properties. Therefore, it is very difficult to predict the length of time before an applicant may be given a chance to view a property. 
We would appreciate your patience at this time.

Can I get help to complete the form?

Yes. If you require assistance, please feel free to contact us and our staff will be happy to guide you through process.

How are properties allocated?

Our Allocations system is based on bands, points and quotas system. 

When a property becomes available for let, we assess which applicant it is most suitable for. We set letting targets to different applicant groups, such current tenants or homeless applicants, and use a rota system to ensure that applicants with different housing needs have the opportunity to receive an offer.
Once an applicant’s band is determined, we identify all applicants within that band whose needs and preferences align with the property. The property will then be offered to the applicant with the most points.

Who can apply for Council Housing?

You can apply for council housing if you are 16 years of age or older and are not restricted by immigration control.

What size and type of housing can I apply for?

The Council is committed to giving you as much choice as possible in the size and type of housing which you can apply for. To make best use of stock and keep in line with National Government regulations on Housing Benefit there will be some limits to the choices that you can make.

Size

The criteria we have set is that one bedroom is allowed for:

• every adult couple
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any two children of the same gender aged under 16
• any two children aged under 10 regardless of gender
• any other child aged under 16

Type

The Council has a range of different types of housing across Clackmannanshire. You can choose which type of property you would like, but your choices may be limited by what is currently available. In particular, you may wish to consider the following:

• Majority of properties available for letting are flats 
• Smaller properties are more likely to be flats
• Ground floor priorities will be prioritised for tenants who have an assessed health or medical need.

Location

You can express interest in Council housing anywhere in Clackmannanshire. However, your options may be more limited in certain areas, and you may need to wait longer for an offer depending on the location.

If I am in rent arrears, will this affect my chance of receiving offers?

We may suspend your application if you have rent arrears or other tenancy-related debt for your current or any previous tenancies.
The Council will not suspend from receiving an offer in the following circumstances:

• You were not the tenant of the house
• Your debt is not linked to the tenancy of the house (e.g. Council tax arrears)
• You have paid your arrears in full
• The amount you owe is less than one month's rent charge
• You have an agreement with your landlord and have kept it for at least 3 months, and are still making payments as agreed

Does antisocial behaviour affect the allocation of a house?

We may suspend your application if you, or any member of your household in a Council tenancy, has an antisocial behaviour order or a current breach of tenancy notice.

What happens if an applicant gives the Council false information?

If an applicant has knowingly provided false or misleading information their application will be suspended until it has been re-assessed with the correct details.

If false information has led to the allocation of a tenancy, the Council may take legal action to recover the tenancy.