Transfer

When you apply for housing your housing officer will award you points based on your personal, housing and social circumstances. The more points you have, the better your chance of getting an offer. People can be unclear about when points are awarded. Points can only be given to you if you can show that you meet a specific standard set out in the Selection Scheme. Ask the Housing Executive for a breakdown of your points if you’re not sure which ones you’ve been given.

Social housing is housing owned by either the Northern Ireland Housing Executive or housing associations. The Housing Selection Scheme is the list of rules that the Housing Executive and housing associations use when deciding who they should offer this housing to.

Because of the shortage of social housing some people will wait a very long time before they get offered a property. You could have a long wait, even if you passed the 4 homeless tests and are legally homeless.

You're only entitled to 3 reasonable offers. If you're offered a property that you don't want you'll lose one of these offers unless you can show the Housing Executive or housing association that the offer wasn't reasonable. How you challenge the decision depends on whether you've passed the 4 homelessness tests of not.