In February 2000, Shelter published a discussion paper 'New Approaches to Housing Allocations'. The paper considered the extent to which allocation of social housing should reflect the choices and preferences of prospective tenants, and to what extent judgements about housing need should determine allocation. Increasingly, the tension between low demand in areas of social housing and growing aspirations amongst tenants are posing challenges for traditional bureaucratic allocations policies based on need. These traditional approaches are often accused of reflecting the needs of the organisation rather than the tenant and, it is claimed, do not respond well to changing demand, causing problems for housing management and void control. Housing providers are looking at new ways of approaching allocation to overcome some of these problems and to encourage the creation of more sustainable communities.

The paper concluded that in principle, introducing tenant choice into allocations procedures could bring benefits, but that introducing choice should not override the importance of prioritising those in greatest need. Since 2000 many housing providers across the UK, including the City of Edinburgh Council, have introduced an element of tenant choice into their allocations procedures, and Shelter has continued to express concerns about the day-to-day operation of these procedures. In the light of recent experience, this paper looks at the role of choice in a fair allocations policy.

It is readily recognised that 'choice' does not stand alone as a major influence on housing allocations. Housing transfer, section 5 referrals for homeless people, and the development of common housing registers are all as important. This paper cannot cover all these issues but Shelter will continue to work on them.