When you apply for housing with Solihull your application will be based on if you have a housing need and if you have a local connection to Solihull.

Definition of Housing Need

Your housing application will be looked at and a decision on whether you are eligible for social housing will be based on the current information you provide. This can also be known as having a housing need.

If you are found to be successful for social housing, you will be awarded a band based on how urgent your current circumstances are.

Local Connection to Solihull

Applicants or a permanent member of their household will need to meet, and provide evidence of the fact they meet, at least one of the following criteria in order to be defined as having a local connection to Solihull:

a) Residence

Have been resident within Solihull continuously for the last 2 years immediately preceding the date of application and for the duration of their application, in accommodation that was of their own choice. For the purposes of residency, we will only usually consider settled forms of accommodation i.e. medium to long term accommodation and generally where there is a legal right or express permission to occupy. See page 53 of Solihull’s Housing Allocation Scheme (pdf 1.2 mB) for exemptions.

b) Employment

Have permanent employment or be self-employed in Solihull (meaning the actual physical place of work rather than, for example, the location of the employer’s head office) for a continuous period of at least 2 years immediately preceding the date of application and for the duration of the application (although any employment need not necessarily be/have been with same employer). This employment must be for 16 hours or more per week. Where working hours fluctuate, e.g. casual or zero hours contract, an average will be taken over 12 months.

c) Close Family

Local connection can be established through family where:

The applicant has a close relative* who has been living in Solihull continuously for the last 5 years and a meaningful relationship exists between family members, or;

Where the relative has been living in Solihull for less than 5 years but has health or care needs which require the support of the household that is applying to move to Solihull, or where a family member needs to move to Solihull to be closer to family who live there from whom they require care/support, and the current distance between homes makes it difficult for the provision of such support.

Applicants will need to provide evidence to support this criterion along with evidence to show frequent contact or dependency.

*Close relative for this purpose is defined as parents, adult children, or adult siblings.

If you are found to be unsuccessful due to having no housing need or no close association to Solihull then you are not eligible for social housing and your application will be closed.

You should only re-apply for social housing if your circumstances are different to a previous application.

If your circumstances remain the same and you re-apply, then the decision will not change and your application will be closed.