Once you’re accepted onto King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Homechoice, you’re placed into a priority band based on your housing need. The higher the band, the greater your chance of being offered a property, and if you’re in Emergency Band you get priority for three months.
| Band | What it means | How long it lasts / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Band | For the most severe cases, such as witness protection, some hospital discharges, or a combination of factors from High Band. The panel decides whether this band is awarded. | Priority over all other banded applicants of similar household size for three months. If you don’t bid, your case is reassessed and the band may be withdrawn. |
| High band | For serious housing need, including homelessness with main duty, major overcrowding, severe medical/welfare need, severe disrepair or insanitary conditions, and some supported housing cases. | If you do not make a successful bid for suitable accommodation within 3 months or refuse a suitable offer, your need band may be reassessed. |
| Medium band | For homelessness relief duty, one-bedroom overcrowding, and lower-level medical/welfare/support/hardship needs. | No fixed time period stated. |
| Low band | For lesser but still recognised need, including prevention duty, homeless but able to secure your own home, children under 12 with no garden or in flats/maisonettes, intentional homelessness, and some medical/welfare/hardship cases. | If you’ve been found intentionally homeless, you remain in Low band for 12 months. |
| No Priority on Housing Register | For applicants who are adequately housed, including tenants, homeowners, private renters, or people living with family where the home meets their needs. | This is the lowest priority category shown. |
When properties are advertised, you can only bid if you meet the criteria for that home, and the allocation goes to the person with the highest band and earliest relevant date. The relevant date is usually when you first registered, or when your band changed.