Every household on Slough's housing register must re-register before the new allocations scheme starts on 30 November. Band C is being contacted this month.

Every household on Slough’s housing register is being asked to re-apply over the coming months, as Slough Borough Council prepares to bring in its first new housing allocations policy since 2018. The new scheme takes effect on 30 November, and the council has warned that anyone who does not complete re-registration when asked “may result in your application being closed”. (Slough Borough Council, 31 July 2026)

The re-registration is phased by band, and August is Band C’s turn. The council started at the end of July with Band A applicants and homeless households living in temporary accommodation, moves to Band C during August, then Band B and all remaining active applications in September. November is the final call for anyone who has not yet completed re-registration, along with new applications received before 30 July 2026. (Re-registration timetable, slough.gov.uk)

The council says there is nothing to do until you are contacted: “We will write to you asking you to re-register, so wait until you hear from us.” If you remain eligible, your new application keeps your original effective date, so you lose no waiting time to the changeover.

What the new scheme changes

Cabinet approved the policy on Monday 20 July, after a consultation that ran from 10 March to 12 May and drew 1,002 responses. Councillors were also asked to approve suspending the housing register for up to two weeks, programmed for November, while applications are migrated to the new system. (Council pre-decision announcement, 13 July 2026)

The headline changes the council set out going into that meeting:

  • The household income ceiling drops from £55,000 to £39,059 a year. Above that, you will not be able to join the register. The council’s summary of proposed changes says the figure is based on average annual earnings in Slough and will be reviewed annually.
  • The savings and assets ceiling drops from £20,000 to £16,000, which the council says brings it in line with welfare benefits. The summary notes exceptions may be made for applicants who are vulnerable or have a specific medical need.
  • People who are adequately housed will no longer be able to join the register. The council’s reasoning: an inflated register makes it harder for those in genuine need to get a home.
  • Young carers will be awarded their own bedroom for as long as they are providing care, matching what live-in adult carers already get.
  • Children of the same sex will be expected to share a bedroom up to 18, not 16. The council says the wait for large properties is considerable and the change helps reserve them for severely overcrowded households.

The consultation-stage summary also proposed that an applicant who refuses their single offer of accommodation is removed from the register and cannot reapply for 12 months, that the five-year limit on former armed forces applicants is removed, and that medical priority is cut from three awards to two: an emergency award in Band A and an urgent award in Band B, with no medical award in Band C. The full Housing Allocations Scheme 2026 has not yet been published; the council says it will appear on its website shortly, so check the final wording of those rules when it lands.

Councillor Iftakhar Ahmed, lead member for housing, homelessness and communities, said: “This was the first review of the housing allocations policy in many years. The updated policy brings our requirements in line with many other boroughs, with our focus on improving fairness and transparency, while continuing to prioritise those in most housing need.

“We know demand outweighs supply in terms of the number of properties available, so being assessed against the new criteria will give applicants a more realistic idea on the waiting times.”

From 2027 the council also plans to introduce Choice Based Lettings, which will let applicants view available properties online and bid for homes that meet their needs. Until then homes continue to be allocated under the existing arrangements and there is no bidding.

Timeline of Slough's housing register re-registration: Band A and temporary accommodation households from the end of July 2026, Band C in August, Band B and remaining applications in September, final re-registrations in November with the register paused up to two weeks, the new scheme in effect from 30 November, and Choice Based Lettings during 2027
Graphic by Slough Daily

What it means for you

If you are on the register now, wait for the council’s letter or email, then complete your re-registration within the timescale it gives you. This is the one step that is not optional: the council says twice on its scheme page that failing to re-register may close your application. Band A and temporary accommodation households were contacted first, Band C is contacted during August and Band B in September.

If you are about to apply for the first time, applications submitted before 30 November are assessed under the current 2018 scheme, through the council’s application page. Expect some processing delays while the transition runs.

If your household earns over £39,059 or holds over £16,000 in savings, you will not qualify to join the register once the new scheme is in force. The council’s advice pages point applicants in that position towards alternatives including low cost home ownership and private renting; our Slough house prices page tracks what homes across the borough actually sell for.