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Applying for Rehousing on Medical Grounds

Application Process

Your application will first be assessed by the Housing Access teams to determine eligibility for the Housing Register. Initial banding will be awarded based on your circumstances, and you will be notified in writing. If further assessment is required for medical priority, a referral will be made at this point. Due to high demand, medical assessments may take up to 20 weeks. 

Medical Assessments

You may qualify for medical priority if a long-term or permanent medical condition is negatively affected by your current accommodation, and rehousing will helpyou to live independently in your own home. If you are applying for rehousing on medical grounds, you must complete the medical section of your application for each member of the household with a relevant medical condition.

Answer “yes” to the question “Do you have an illness or disability that is affected by where you live now?” Answer each question in full and submit the form.

You must provide professional supporting information regarding your medical condition. This can be provided at any point in the application process. The information must be relevant and not more than 12 months old.  Without supporting evidence, you will not be assessed on medical grounds, and your referral will be closed.

The assessment does not examine how severe your medical condition is, it looks at how your current accommodation impacts on it. (e.g. inability to access basic facilities within your home such as the toilet or bathing facilities)

Medical priority will not be awarded for:

• Temporary conditions (e.g. broken bones, pregnancy etc.)
• Stress from neighbours, marital issues, or anti-social behaviour
• Homelessness or overcrowding
• Damp/condensation or disrepair
• Financial issues
• Care/support needs
• Property or garden too large to manage due to age

If you are applying due to risk of harm, domestic abuse, homelessness, support needs, overcrowding, anti-social behaviour, or disrepair you should contact Housing Solutions at 01484 221350 or housing.solutions@kirklees.gov.uk. These issues may qualify for alternative priority under the Kirklees Housing Allocations Policy.

You must have a local connection to Kirklees – without this you are not eligible for medical priority and will remain in Band E (No Local Connection)

If you are a homeowner, or living in a property which could be adapted, we may advise you to make a referral for an Occupational Therapist assessment to see whether aids or adaptations could be provided to improve your accessibility.  You can make a referral by phoning 01484 225335.  

If you have been awarded Band E due to Housing Debt, you will only be eligible for medical priority if you are engaging with money / debt advice services and have an agreed repayment plan in place.  You should contact the Income Management Team on 01484 414886 to discuss the debt.

Extra Bedrooms

The Council will only award an extra bedroom in exceptional circumstances, where there is a diagnosed medical condition, and supporting evidence from a medical professional. Reasons such as being unable to share a room with a spouse or partner due to snoring, or disturbed sleep will not be considered.

• An extra bedroom for a child will only be considered if we have supporting information with evidence of a diagnosed medical condition, and proof that they are unable to share with a sibling.
• An extra bedroom for a full-time carer will only be recommended where we have evidence that an applicant needs ongoing essential overnight care for a long-term or permanent condition.

What happens once the medical assessment has been carried out?

The Medical Advisory Officer will assess your application along with the supporting information provided and decide whether the severity of the medical condition is being directly impacted by your housing conditions. We may need to visit you at home. The assessment is carried out in line with the Kirklees Council Housing Allocations Policy.

Depending on the outcome of the assessment, your priority may remain the same or you may be given an upgrade in your housing band.  It does not mean that we have not accepted your medical conditions if your priority is not upgraded.

The Medical Advisory Officer will also make recommendations as to the most appropriate property type for your needs (for example if specific accommodation is needed due to a physical disability ie. ground floor accommodation or adaptations).

If your current property is found to be suitable or could be improved/adapted to an acceptable standard, we will not award medical priority.

The Medical Advisory Officer will write to you with the outcome.

What if I disagree with the medical assessment decision?

If you disagree with our assessment of your situation or the band that you have been awarded, you have the right to request a review of the decision by a senior officer. 

You must make this request within 21 days of receipt of the decision.

You should put your reasons why you disagree with our assessment in writing to Accessible.homes@kirklees.gov.uk quoting your name and housing register number.

We will write and inform you of the review decision within 28 days of receiving your request.  If you do not agree with our decision, you have the right to appeal to Officer Review Panel which is your final right to appeal.