Home Choice Plus

The system used for social housing applications in Bromsgrove District is changing.

This summer, Home Choice Plus will be replaced by Bromsgrove Home Choice.

Bromsgrove Home Choice will be a brand new housing register and brand new system to manage applications and bidding.

If you are seeking housing in the district you will need to reapply on the new system starting from Monday August 17, 2026. See below for more information.

This change will make the process clearer, fairer, and reflect current housing legislation.

How to apply or reapply on the new system when it opens

A link to the new Bromsgrove Home Choice system will be available here from August 17.

From that date, please follow that link and the steps there to apply or reapply.

Please do this as soon as possible from August 17. This is so your application or reapplication will have plenty of time to be assessed or reassessed.

Old applications cannot carry over (see below for more details).

If you do not reapply on the new system your old application will be closed.

If you are reapplying and you:

• Reapply by October 1 2026, and
• Your reapplication receives the same banding

Then your original waiting date will stay the same, and you will not lose your waiting time.

If you are on the current Home Choice Plus system, we will email you on the email address you gave to us to tell you about this. If you did not give us an email address, we will write to you at the address you gave us.

Why this change is happening

Under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended), households are prioritised for allocations of social housing in Bromsgrove District through the council's formal Allocations Policy.

After public consultation in December 2025 and January 2026, that policy was updated.

Amongst other changes, the policy now has:

• Six clear priority bands,
• The highest band reserved for those in greatest need,
• Lower priority for applicants without a local connection,
• More support for people moving on from supported accommodation, and
• Updated income thresholds.

This is why all applicants on the current housing register will need to reapply on the new one. As it is a new register with new criteria, old applications cannot carry over.

A copy of the policy, and more information about how it works, is provided below.

How the change of systems will affect applications and bidding

On August 17, the old system (Home Choice Plus) will close to new applications and the new system (Bromsgrove Home Choice), will open to new applications.

From August 17, only existing applicants will be able to continue bidding on the old system. The last advertisement of properties on the old system will be on September 22 with bidding ending on September 28.

After that, there will be a short period when nobody will be able to bid on homes, while the systems are changed over. People who are homeless or at risk of it during this change will be supported directly by bdht.

On October 6, homes will then start to be advertised for bidding to applicants on the new system. The old system, and all applications on it, will be closed.

The Bromsgrove Home Choice Allocations Policy

Bromsgrove Home Choice is a scheme used to advertise and/or allocate social rented, low-cost home ownership and privately rented properties in Bromsgrove District.

Bromsgrove Home Choice allocations policy outlines how the Council will prioritise households for an allocation of social housing under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended).

The Council works in partnership with a number of housing associations/registered providers to allocate social housing in a fair and transparent way.

Housing associations and registered providers will have their own allocations policies which they will apply when allocating their properties. This means applicants at the top of the Housing Register on banding and date may not be rehoused by the housing association (registered provider) if they do not also meet the requirements of their own Allocations Policy.