Social Housing, also known as affordable housing, is for people who cannot afford or who cannot find suitable housing to rent or buy on the open market.
As Stratford-on-Avon District Council does not own any housing stock, all social housing is provided by housing associations.
Housing association properties that become available are advertised and allocated through the Council's housing register.
As applications under the previous Allocations Policy have now closed and a new Allocations Policy has been adopted, any new applications must be made under the new Housing Register arrangements from 15 September 2026. Further information can be found here.
If you would like a copy of the previous Home Choice Plus Allocations Policy, please contact the Housing Advice Team and a copy will be provided on request.
If you have any questions, please contact the Housing Advice team:
- Telephone: 01789 260861
- Email: housingadviceteam@stratford-dc.gov.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Eligibility - local connection criteria
In order to join Home Choice Plus, applicants must have one of the following local connections to the Home Choice Plus partnership area (Stratford/Wyre Forest/Bromsgrove) (unless exempt):
- current residence of the applicant for at least 2 years,
- current employment of the applicant for at least 6 months,
- current residence of an applicant's close family member for at least 5 years,
- residence of the applicant for three out of the last five years
Households who meet any of the statutory homeless definitions, and those who are judged to fall within one of the reasonable preference categories as described by the legislation are also considered to have a local connection as a result of special circumstances.
2. Home Choice Plus banding - local connection criteria
In addition to housing need, an applicant's banding is assessed looking at local connection to the Stratford on Avon District area. In order to have a District connection, applicants must:
- have been resident in the District area for 6 out of the last 12 months, or 3 out of the last 5 years,
- Employed in the District area,
- Have a family connection in the District area where the family member has lived in the area for 5 years or more.
3. Allocation of properties with parish connection - local connection criteria
All new housing association properties, and those developed since 1996, give preference to households with a parish connection.
In order to have a parish connection, applicants must meet at leasrt one of the following:
- Born in the parish (parents lived in the parish at the time of the applicant's birth),
- current residence in the parish for at least 12 months,
- current employment in the parish for at least 12 months, where the employment is for at least 16 hours per week,
- previously resident in the parish for at least 3 years,
- current residence of immediate family members for at least 3 years (immediate family defined as mother/father/sister/brother/adult child).