Housing Register applications
Table 1.1 Households on the housing register by band and property need on 1 April 2025.
| Band | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed | 5 bed | 6 bed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| B | 49 | 16 | 60 | 90 | 35 | 17 | 267 |
| C | 251 | 223 | 272 | 71 | 14 | 2 | 833 |
| D | 329 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 376 |
| Total | 629 | 281 | 338 | 163 | 49 | 19 | 1479 |
The number of households on the housing register has fallen in the last year from 1,743 to 1,479. This is mainly due to a pause in accepting new applications related to the implementation of the new allocations policy. The number is expected to rise again following full implementation of the new policy.
The greatest fall in applications is for 1-bed properties. Small falls in demand have been recorded across all other property sizes compared to a year ago.
Table 1.2 Property size breakdown of households on the housing register
| Property size | Proportion of total applicants | Proportion of high need applicants |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bed | 42% | 18% |
| 2 Bed | 19% | 6% |
| 3 Bed | 23% | 23% |
| 4+ Bed | 16% | 53% |
Applicants needing 1 and 2 bed properties make up 61% of households on the housing register. Applicants requiring 3 and 4 bed properties make up 39% of all applicants.
Focusing on those applicants in bands A and B, with the highest level of assessed need, more than half of these require a larger property of 4 or more bedrooms.
Applicants needing smaller 1 or 2 bed homes make up only a quarter of those in the highest housing need.
Table 1.3 Proportion of households in a high priority housing band for each property size.
| Property size | Proportion of applicants with a high assessed need |
|---|---|
| 1 Bed | 8% |
| 2 Bed | 6% |
| 3 Bed | 18% |
| 4+ Bed | 56% |
56% of applicants needing a 4-bed property have a high assessed housing need which places them in the top 2 priority bands. By contrast, only 8% of one bed applicants and 6% of 2 bed applicants are in the top two priority bands.
Properties let
Table 2.1 All properties let (existing and new build) April 2024 to March 2025.
| Property Type | Number let |
|---|---|
| General Needs | 252 |
| Sheltered | 88 |
| Total | 340 |
A total of 340 properties were let during the year. General needs properties accounted for 252 of these. Most of the other 88 were sheltered, 1 and 2 bed properties for older people, and there were a handful of lets to supported housing.
The figures are similar to those in previous years, with the exception of last year, when there was a higher than usual number of lettings.
Table 2.2 General needs properties let April 2024 to March 2025.
| Property size | Number let |
|---|---|
| Studio | 16 |
| 1 Bed | 99 |
| 2 Bed | 89 |
| 3 Bed | 43 |
| 4 Bed | 5 |
| Total | 252 |
Among the general need properties becoming available to let, 81% were 1 and 2 bed properties (including studios).
Five 4-bed properties, which were all relets, also became available, a similar number to last year.
Availability of homes for rent
Table 3.1 Supply and demand of properties for rent April 2024 to March 2025.
| Property size | All properties let | Number on the waiting list | Ratio of households to properties let |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Bed | 165 | 629 | 3.8 |
| 2 Bed | 126 | 281 | 2.2 |
| 3 Bed | 44 | 338 | 7.7 |
| 4 bed | 5 | 163 | 32.6 |
The greatest supply of properties, relative to demand, is 2-beds. There was an average of 2.2 households for each 2-bed property becoming available last year. The demand for 1-bed properties is also matched by a relatively high level of supply.
For 4-bed properties, only 5 properties became available for 163 households. This means there were nearly 33 households for every 4-bed property let.
Waiting times
Table 4.1 Average rehousing times April 2024 to March 2025.
| Property size | Average of Months | Average of Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bed | 14 | 1.2 |
| 2 Bed | 23 | 2.0 |
| 3 Bed | 59 | 4.9 |
| 4 bed | 76 | 6.3 |
Average rehousing times have reduced a little for most property sizes compared to last year. Rehousing times for larger properties are still considerably longer than for smaller properties. This is due to a much higher supply of smaller properties.
The average rehousing time for a 3-bed property is nearly 5 years, and over 6 years for a 4-bed property.
Wheelchair accessible and adaptable homes
Table 5.1 Current demand for wheelchair accessible and adaptable homes.
| Property size | Number of households |
|---|---|
| 1 Bed | To be confirmed |
| 2 Bed | To be confirmed |
| 3 Bed | To be confirmed |
| 4 Bed | To be confirmed |
Awaiting figures for 2025.
Table 5.2 Number of Wheelchair adapted units completed by year.
| Year | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 to 2021 | 0 | 1 - Warfield | 0 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 3 - Binfield | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
There are currently 3 wheelchair units forecast for completion across the borough in 2025 to 2026.
They are 1-bed properties in Binfield, Bracknell and Warfield.
New affordable rented homes
Table 6.1 Number of affordable rented homes completed by year.
| Year | Affordable homes for rent | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 to 2021 | 53 | 17 | 32 | 4 | 0 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 80 | 23 | 48 | 8 | 1 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 33 | 10 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 117 | 58 | 55 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
A total of 313 affordable rented homes have been completed in the last 5 years. Of these 90% were 1 and 2-beds. Three and 4-bed homes account for only 11% of affordable rented completions.
The demand for affordable homes for rent is spread evenly across the borough. Development of larger 3 and 4-bed family homes should be prioritised on greenfield and suburban sites. These sites have more scope for providing houses compared to town centre sites.
Table 6.2 Number of affordable rented homes by tenure completed by year.
| Year | Social rent | Affordable rent | Total rented |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 to 2021 | 0 | 53 | 53 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 0 | 80 | 80 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 3 | 30 | 33 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 64 | 53 | 117 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 0 | 30 | 30 |
Most rented homes constructed over this period have been let at affordable rents.
New intermediate homes
Table 7.1 Number of intermediate homes completed by year.
| Year | Intermediate homes | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 to 2021 | 54 | 15 | 28 | 11 | 0 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 37 | 5 | 19 | 13 | 0 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 19 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 2 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 150 | 49 | 96 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 27 | 8 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
In total, 287 intermediate shared ownership homes have been completed in the last 5 years. Of these:
- 27% were 1-bed
- 58% were 2-beds
- 14% were 3-beds
- 1% were 4-beds
The greatest need for shared ownership housing is in the Bracknell town area. On greenfield and suburban sites, the priority for shared ownership housing is for 2, 3 and a small number of 4-bedroom houses. There is low demand for 1 and 2-bedroom flats in these locations.
Registered providers have indicated the following requirements for shared ownership homes:
- 1 and 2-bed flats, close to Bracknell or other urban settlements in Bracknell Forest
- a high demand for 2 and 3-bed houses
- flats should have outside space – access to garden or good size private balconies (at least 5 metre square, with minimum depth of 1.5 metres).
Affordable housing mix
The tables below show indicative targets for different sized properties for affordable housing. These were modelled in the housing needs assessment produced for us by Iceni in 2021.
Table 8.1 Property sizes required by tenure.
| Tenure | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | 4 bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affordable Rent | 30-35% | 30-35% | 20-25% | 10-15% |
| Affordable Home Ownership | 25% | 40% | 25% | 10% |
30 to 40% of the need for affordable rented homes over the Local Plan period (up to 2037) is for 3 and 4-bedroom properties. 65% of need for affordable home ownership is for 1 and 2-bedroom homes.
Analysis of demand on the housing register and the available supply of properties shows a severe shortage of larger family homes. This is particularly acute for 4-bed properties due to the lack of new supply in recent years.
Current demand for 4-bed shared ownership properties appears to be low. The priority for new larger homes is for social and affordable rented housing, rather than affordable home ownership.
The housing mix targets for affordable housing have therefore been updated as shown below.
Table 8.2. Updated borough-wide indicative affordable housing mix targets.
| Tenure | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | 4 bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affordable Rent | 30% | 30% | 25% | 15% |
| Affordable Home Ownership | 30% | 50% | 15% | 5% |
To achieve the targets for larger homes, 3 and 4-bed properties should be increased, particularly on greenfield sites. These sites favour the development of family houses, including 2-bed houses, rather than flats.
By contrast, there is limited scope for developing larger homes in Bracknell town centre. Here, development is more likely to be flats rather than houses.
Table 8.3. Indicative affordable housing mix targets on greenfield sites.
| Tenure | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | 4 bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affordable Rent | 10% | 40% | 35% | 15% |
| Affordable Home Ownership | 25% | 50% | 20% | 5% |
Affordability
Table 9.1 Affordable and social rent levels.
| Property size | LHA rate* | Typical social rent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bed flat | £195.62 | £125 plus service charge |
| 2 bed flat | £252 | £145 plus service charge |
| 3 bed house | £299.18 | £165 |
| 4 bed house | £380.65 | £185 |
*Local Housing Allowance based on Reading BRMA.
Affordable rents are set at 80% of the local market rent inclusive of service charges. Where this exceeds the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate for the area and property size, rents should be capped at this level. This means that, in many cases, affordable rents are charged at the LHA rate.
Market and affordable rents are becoming unaffordable for many low-income households. Table 9.1 shows that affordable rent levels based on latest LHA rates are now significantly higher than social rents. This is especially true for larger property sizes where the disparity in rent levels is greatest, and the rents are least affordable.
In future, the priority is to increase the number of 3 and 4-bedroom properties at social rent levels rather than at affordable rents. This will make sure that rents remain affordable for low-income households.