Housing Nominations Policy 2025
Our Housing Service is running a 9-week public consultation on the proposed changes to the Social Housing Nominations Policy. We want to hear your feedback on the proposed changes.
The Nominations Policy sets out details on how to apply to join the Council’s Housing Register, who is eligible for nomination for social housing, the priority given, and how offers of social housing are made.
Watford Borough Council’s current Nominations Policy was last updated in 2018 following the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 to ensure it was compliant. Since this time the legislation and landscape relating to housing and homelessness has changed with the number of applications received continuing to increase and the number of properties available decreasing, both to record levels. Therefore, the policy needs updating to reflect this along with the changes in law, regulation, our policies and good practice.
We have developed a proposed new Nominations Policy taking all the above into account and ensuring that our support is going to those most vulnerable residents with the strongest connection to Watford.
We would now like your views on the proposed policy. You can view a full draft of the policy online.
Your views and comments on each of the significant changes to the policy can be submitted using our online response form (this will open in a new window). Deadline for responding is 5pm on Tuesday 8thJuly 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Local authorities are required by law to adopt and publish a policy which sets out their priorities for the allocation of social housing accommodation and the procedures to be followed in accordance with the legislation. The policy covers who is eligible to apply for social housing and how priority for social housing is determined. It also sets out the procedures for nominating applicants to housing providers for a social homes within Watford.
The current Nominations Policy has been in place since August 2015. It was updated in March 2018 to ensure reasonable preference was given to homelessness applicants as required in the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
A consultation was held in 2019 on a number of changes, however these were never approved or implemented due to the pandemic. Since then further changes have been proposed to reflect current housing circumstances.
After the new policy is agreed, all current applications will be reassessed in line with the new policy. You will be notified of the new banding that your application has been placed in once this assessment has been verified.
Yes, please continue as usual with bidding during the consultation, the new policy will not take effect until after the consultation period and once it is approved.
We are easing the local connection requirement from 5 out of the last 6 years living in Watford to 5 out of the last 7 years and changing the local residence requirement for single applicants in the Single Homeless Pathway and Care Leavers. We are also enabling applicants threatened with homelessness who accept an offer of a private rented home to remain on the Housing Register and bid on the CBL system for three years.
We hope to go live / implement the new policy in January 2026.
After the new policy is agreed, all current applications will be reassessed in line with the new policy. You will be notified of the new banding that your application has been placed in once this assessment has been verified.
We aim to reassess your existing application. You do not need to reapply.
We will notify you in writing by email, please ensure that you have provided your most up to date email address.
If you are in housing need you can apply through home connections as usual throughout the consultation period and we will assess your application based on our current policy until the new policy takes effect.
You may wish to wait until our new nominations policy goes live before you submit your application.
We cannot predict how long it will take for you to be offered alternative accommodation through the housing register. It is difficult to give a time frame for how long it takes due to varying factors such as size/type of accommodation required and the availability of housing.
Your banding will remain the same until the new policy is implemented and your application is reassessed in line with the new policy. You can see your banding and effective date on your customer portal.
Please tell us immediately if there are any changes to your circumstances by completing a change of circumstances on your application.
If you wish to complete a change of circumstances, update your address or add additional household members. Please follow the instructions below.
update your application online
- Scroll down to the bottom left of the screen
- Click on ‘Log In’
- Then enter the ‘ID, Password and Security Question’
- Then click ‘Log In’
- Once logged in under Housing Register or Housing Advice
- Then under ‘Change of Circumstances’
- Click on ‘Report a Change of Circumstances’
You will need to provide the following documents if you wish to apply for housing:
- Proof of eligibility/immigration status
- Proof of local connection – proof of residency e.g. council tax records
- Proof of income – bank statements, wages, self employed income
- Proof of savings – bank statements
- Proof of Dependent children / adults as applicable – child benefit letter, court order, carers allowance
- Proof of medical conditions – assessments, doctor’s letters, medication etc
No, it is your landlord’s obligation to take action regarding significant damp and mould in your property. Watford’s Environmental Health team must agree that the situation cannot be resolved with the household still living in the property before priority can be awarded for this reason.
The new policy will not create more houses or less people on the housing register. We have developed a new Policy to ensure that our support is going to the most vulnerable residents with the strongest connection to Watford.
We cannot predict how long it will take for you to be offered alternative accommodation through the housing register. It is difficult to give a time frame for how long it will take due to varying factors such as size/type of accommodation required and the availability of housing.
The new policy is not linked to building new houses; however the council is committed to working with housing partners to deliver affordable housing over the coming years in line with Government targets.
