We consider that each of the following will need one bedroom.

• An adult couple (an adult couple in a bedsit is classed as lacking a bedroom)
• Any other person aged 16 or over (including a live-in carer where the need for a bedroom would be accepted under Housing Benefit regulations)
• Two children of the same sex under the age of 16
• Two children under the age of 10, no matter what their sex
• Any other child.

We only take account of children if they live with you permanently and it is their main home. We take account of unborn children from 25 weeks into the pregnancy. We will assume their sex is the one that will minimize the number of bedrooms needed. As a rule, you cannot bid for properties with more bedrooms than you need. There are two exceptions to this which are:

• You need to be a certain age (normally 55 or more) to live in the property
• You would be considered as needing an extra bedroom under the rules used for assessing claims for Housing Benefit.

Due to the shortage of four and five-bedroom properties in the district, if you have this need, we will allow you to bid for three-bedroom properties, but we may not offer you a three-bedroom property if it means your household will be overcrowded.

As well as the number of bedrooms that you need there are rules about the type of property that you can bid for:

• Bedsits will only be offered to single people
• Some (but not all) bungalows, and flats, are only available to people in a certain age range, for example aged 60 or more (where this applies it will be shown on the advert for the property).
• Houses with two or more bedrooms are generally only available to people with children younger than 16. Exceptions may be considered to those with medical needs that cannot be catered for in other housing stock available, and for those downsizing from 4 and 5 bedroom houses.

All applicants, regardless of band, will be able to bid for any property of the right size and type (including age-designated properties, subject to being of the required age).