Housing Register Consultation

We are asking for your views on proposed changes to our Housing Register and Allocations Policy.

East Herts District Council has the right to nominate tenants for housing association homes in the area. The Housing Register and Allocations Policy explains how this works. It includes who can join the housing register and how homes are allocated.

Around 600 properties are let each year, with new tenants chosen from the housing register. At the end of December 2025, there were 2,613 active applications. This means there are more people applying for housing than there are homes available.

We are considering these changes to better identify and meet the housing needs of people living in East Herts. The changes will also make the process clearer, so residents can better understand their priority for housing.

The main changes we are consulting on are:

• Introducing a residency requirement for new applicants
• Changing the maximum household income allowed to join the Housing Register
• Introducing a banding system to prioritise applications

You can find more details about the proposed changes, and the reasons for them, in the table here

Answers to frequently asked questions are available on the right hand side.

The consultation opens on Tuesday, 26 May 2026 and will run for six weeks.

A report will be presented to Full Council on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. Councillors will then decide whether to approve the changes.