Bromsgrove housing register: everyone must reapply from 17 Aug

Every household on Bromsgrove’s housing register has to apply again. From Monday 17 August 2026 the Home Choice Plus system closes to new applications and a new register, Bromsgrove Home Choice, opens in its place. Bromsgrove District Council says old applications “cannot carry over” because the new register runs on new criteria, so anyone who does not reapply will have their existing application closed. (Bromsgrove District Council, 11 August 2026)

The one protection on offer is time-limited. If you reapply by 1 October 2026 and your new application lands in the same band, you keep your original effective date, so you lose no waiting time. Reapply after that, or come out in a different band, and the clock starts again. (Bromsgrove District Council, housing register page)

That is not a small group. The council’s last official return to government counted 2,755 households on the Bromsgrove register at 31 March 2025, of whom 1,816 needed a one-bedroom home, 600 two bedrooms, 286 three and 53 more than three; 387 were in a statutory “reasonable preference” category. Only Worcester (4,187) and Wyre Forest (3,584) had longer lists in the county. (MHCLG, Local Authority Housing Statistics 2024-25, section C)

The changeover, date by date

• 17 August: Home Choice Plus closes to new applications. Bromsgrove Home Choice opens; a link goes live on the council’s housing register page. All new applications and all reapplications go on the new system from this date. Existing applicants can still bid on the old system for now.
• 15 September: last advertisement of properties on Home Choice Plus.
• 21 September: bidding ends on the old system. After this there is what the council calls “a short period when nobody will be able to bid on homes” while the systems change over.
• 1 October: reapply by this date, with the same banding, to keep your original waiting date.
• 6 October: homes start to be advertised for bidding on Bromsgrove Home Choice. The old system and every application on it is closed.

The council says it is emailing every existing applicant, or writing to those who gave no email address, with instructions. Anyone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness during the gap will be supported directly by the housing association bdht, whose helpline is 0800 085 0160. (Bromsgrove District Council, 11 August 2026)

Why the register is being rebuilt

The change follows a rewrite of the council’s Allocations Policy, the statutory document under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996 that sets out who is prioritised for social housing. The new policy was consulted on in December 2025 and January 2026. Councillor Sue Baxter, portfolio holder for strategic housing, said the change “is something that we have to do” to bring the council up to date with national legislation, “including prioritising those with a local connection to the district and where exceptional circumstances exist, such as fleeing domestic abuse, leaving care, or being a member or former member of the armed forces.” (Bromsgrove District Council, 11 August 2026)

The six new bands

The Bromsgrove Home Choice Allocations Policy (version 1, 2026) replaces the old banding with six bands. In summary:

• Band 1 (3-month time limit): households the council has accepted a full homelessness rehousing duty for under section 193, or who are owed the relief duty and are likely to be accepted.
• Band 2 (6 months, local connection): homeless cases with no statutory duty; homes in serious disrepair; verified high medical need made worse by current housing; households owed the prevention or relief duty; move-on from supported accommodation the council referred you into; social tenants under-occupying or in a home with major adaptations they do not need; serious overcrowding, lacking three or more bedrooms; or two or more Band 3 criteria together.
• Band 3 (12 months, local connection): harassment; overcrowding lacking one or two bedrooms; exceptional circumstances; families with children under 10 in a flat with no private garden.
• Band 4 (reduced priority): households that would otherwise have a housing need but have financial resources above the limits, no local connection, are owner-occupiers, are intentionally homeless, have deliberately worsened their circumstances, have housing-related debts, have breached tenancy conditions, or repeatedly refuse suitable offers.
• Band 5 (12 months, local connection): lower housing need, for example newly forming households, those sharing facilities, those in tied accommodation or lodging with family, and social tenants seeking a transfer.
• Band 6 (12 months, local connection): no reasonable preference need; mainly those interested in shared ownership or older people’s housing, or seeking a transfer.

Two thresholds in the new policy will decide which side of Band 4 many households fall:

• Income. Households with a reasonable preference need are treated as able to solve their own housing need, and drop to Band 4, if gross household income including benefits is above £47,000 for singles and couples with no children, or £60,000 for households with children.
• Savings and assets. Savings, capital, assets or equity of £50,000 or more has the same effect, unless you are on a pension or fixed income and could not get a mortgage, in which case the limit is £95,000. All adult household members’ savings count.

(Allocations Policy, “Financial resources” section)

The local connection test

Under the new policy, applicants with no local connection to the district are not eligible to join the register at all, and those with a reasonable preference need but no connection go into Band 4. A local connection means: living in Bromsgrove district by choice for at least two years continuously; or three of the last five years; permanent paid work in the district for at least six months immediately before applying; a close family member who has lived in the district for at least five years; or special circumstances, including care leavers, armed forces personnel and people who are statutorily homeless. The test is not applied to victims of domestic abuse. (Allocations Policy, “Qualification Eligibility Criteria”)

Housing associations keep their own allocation policies too, so being top of the list on band and date does not guarantee a particular property if the landlord’s own rules are not met.

What it means for you

• On the register now? Watch for the council’s email or letter, then reapply on the new system as soon as it opens on 17 August, and in any case before 1 October. Do not wait for the last bidding round on the old system.
• Check your band before you assume. With new income and savings limits and a stricter local connection test, some households will come out in a lower band than they hold today. If that happens the 1 October protection on your waiting date does not apply.
• Have your paperwork ready. The policy says income and savings details are asked for at application and checked again at the point of an offer.
• Between 21 September and 6 October nobody can bid. If your situation is urgent, contact bdht on 0800 085 0160 rather than waiting for the new adverts.
• Not sure whether you qualify? The full policy is on the council’s housing register page. Council tax band and address details you may need are on our Bromsgrove local information pages, and current housing schemes going through planning are tracked on our planning news page.