FOI release

Housing Register Band 4 Allocation Statistics

Case reference FOI2026/00612

Received 17 June 2026

Published 15 July 2026

Request

I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please provide the following information regarding Oxford City Council's housing register and social housing allocation for the most recent complete financial year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) or calendar year (2024, 2025), depending on how your data is routinely recorded. Specifically, I require the following data points: 1 Total Applications in Band 4: As of the end of the last recorded year, how many total housing applications were registered in Band 4? 2 Successful Allocations from Band 4: How many applicants who were placed in Band 4 were successfully allocated a social housing property during the 12-month period? 3 Rough Sleeper Allocation from Band 4, how many were recorded as being street homeless, rough sleeping or having "no fixed abode" at the time of their application, allocation? 4 Average Wait Time: What was the average (median) waiting time for an applicant in Band 4 to be successfully allocated a property? 5 Total Allocations Across All Bands: For comparison what was the total number of social housing allocations made across all bands (Bands 1,2,3 and 4) combined during the same period? If the provision of any of this data is constrained by cost or time limits under Section 12 of the FOI Act, please prioritise questions 1,2 and 5. I look forward to hearing from you within the statutory 20 working days,

Response

In accordance with section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Oxford City Council (OCC) confirms that it holds information relevant to your request and provides the information below.

1 Total Applications in Band 4: As of the end of the last recorded year, how many total housing applications were registered in Band 4?

Information is not available for 31 December 2026. There were 297 housing applications in Band 4 as at 30 June.

2 Successful Allocations from Band 4: How many applicants who were placed in Band 4 were successfully allocated a social housing property during the 12-month period?

From 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026, three housing applicants in Band 4 were housed.

3 Rough Sleeper Allocation from Band 4, how many were recorded as being street homeless, rough sleeping or having "no fixed abode" at the time of their application, allocation?

Two housing applicants in Band 4 were recorded as homeless or having no fixed abode.

4 Average Wait Time: What was the average (median) waiting time for an applicant in Band 4 to be successfully allocated a property?

There are five priority bands, ranging from Band 1 to Band 5.

Due to the high demand for housing and the limited amount of social housing becoming available, there can be a long wait for housing. Not all housing applicants will receive an offer of housing, particularly those in the lower housing-need priority bands.

A number of factors may influence the time it takes for a housing applicant to receive an offer. These include the size, type, floor level and location of the property required, how often the applicant bids, the number of households applying for the same property, and any preferences specified in the property advertisement. This may include properties available to a specific housing list, older persons’ housing, ground-floor accommodation or adapted accommodation.

OCC’s Allocations Scheme, which is available on its website, provides further information.

For the three housing applicants in Band 4 who were housed in 2025, the average waiting time was approximately 1.7 years. However, many housing applicants wait considerably longer.

Where a housing applicant’s circumstances change, their housing need may be reassessed and their priority band reviewed in accordance with the rules set out in the Allocations Scheme.

5 Total Allocations Across All Bands: For comparison what was the total number of social

housing allocations made across all bands (Bands 1,2,3 and 4) combined during the same period?

There were 356 social housing allocations.

If you disagree with any part of the response to your request, you are entitled to ask the Council for an internal review of the decision(s) made. You may do this by writing to the Monitoring Officer, by either email monitoringofficer@oxford.gov.uk – or by post to Monitoring Officer, Oxford City Council, Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX. After the result of the internal review, if you remain dissatisfied, you may ask the Information Commissioner to intervene on your behalf. You may do this by writing to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Officer

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

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