Brentwood tenants move to the front of the homes queue

Brentwood residents seeking one of the borough’s newly built council homes will face a new priority system, with existing social housing tenants placed at the front of the queue for first lettings.

Brentwood Borough Council approved its Strategic Local Lettings Plan at the Housing, Health & Community Committee meeting on 27 July 2026. The policy covers social and affordable rented homes delivered through the council’s Strategic Housing Development Programme, including the 62-home Brookfield Close development in Hutton.

The plan does not remove applicants from Brentwood’s Housing Register from consideration. It establishes the order in which eligible groups will receive priority when the new properties are let for the first time.

Existing Brentwood tenants receive first priority

The allocation order places current Brentwood Borough Council tenants above other eligible applicants:

There is a further order of preference within the first group. Council tenants who have spare bedrooms and want to move to a smaller property will be considered first. They are followed by tenants on the transfer register, people with a medical need to move and adequately housed tenants seeking relocation.

The structure is intended to create movement within the existing housing stock. When an under-occupying tenant moves into a smaller new home, a larger property can become available for a household requiring more bedrooms.

Tenancy records will affect eligibility

Priority status alone will not determine whether an applicant receives a new home. Tenants must demonstrate responsible tenancy management, including keeping up with rent payments, maintaining their property and avoiding involvement in anti-social behaviour.

The council said these conditions are designed to encourage sustainable tenancies and reduce rent arrears, property damage and anti-social behaviour. They also mean that existing tenants considering a transfer will have their tenancy conduct assessed alongside their housing circumstances.

Medical and accessibility needs remain part of the allocation approach. Consultation with council tenants earlier in 2026 found strong support for recognising those needs while giving existing tenants priority and promoting safe, respectful communities.

Brookfield Close will provide 62 zero-carbon homes

Brookfield Close in Hutton is one of the developments covered by the Strategic Local Lettings Plan. The scheme is currently under construction and comprises 46 flats with between one and three bedrooms and 16 houses with between two and four bedrooms.

All 62 properties are being built as zero-carbon homes and will meet or exceed national space standards. The development also includes homes designed to be wheelchair accessible.

The plan applies to the first letting of these properties and other social and affordable rented homes built through the council’s development programme. It does not state that every property will be allocated to an existing council tenant; instead, it sets a hierarchy for considering eligible applicants.

The policy is designed to release larger homes

For residents already living in council housing, the main effect is a clearer route to accommodation that better matches household size, medical circumstances or accessibility requirements. For applicants lower in the priority order, opportunities may also arise indirectly when transfers release existing properties elsewhere in the borough.

The council’s Equality Impact Assessment concluded that the policy is expected to benefit older residents, disabled people and families by supporting access to more suitable housing. Councillor Dr Tim Barrett, chair of the Housing, Health & Community Committee, said the plan sought to balance responsible tenancy management with continued support for residents who have genuine housing needs.

The council’s announcement does not provide first-letting dates or application deadlines for Brookfield Close. The confirmed next stage is for the priority rules to be used when homes delivered through the Strategic Housing Development Programme become ready for their initial allocation.

Source: Brentwood Borough Council News