Transferring to another bpha home

A transfer is not an emergency or immediate move.

If you need emergency accommodation if you are fleeing domestic abuse or hate crime and are in immediate danger and do not feel safe, or you need to move due to a fire or flood, please contact your local authority immediately - you can find out who your local authority is by using the button below. If the issue is out of working hours, please contact your local authority emergency team. 

Please let us know as soon as you can. Although we cannot deal with emergencies, we can work with you and the local authority to look at long-term plans. For example, for domestic abuse, this could include a transfer within bpha or to another area where bpha does not have any homes, with the help of the local authority. For fires and floods, we will assess the damage and work with you to look at the Temporary Moves Policy provides more information.     

To be considered for a move, you must be registered on the local authority housing register with a priority banding. This gives you the best chance of being rehoused in suitable accommodation.

If you are not registered on the local authority housing register, you will not be considered for a transfer so please ensure you contact them. The only exception to this is if we are considering your case under our Succession Policy (which can be found below), a move within our Independent Living Schemes or your home is part of a redevelopment or needs urgent repair works which cannot be carried out with you in situ.

You may be eligible for a transfer if you require a move for one or more of the following reasons:

• You’re experiencing harassment, domestic abuse, hate crime, serious anti-social behaviour (ASB) or property-related trauma
• You have a severe medical need
• Overcrowding including statutory overcrowding. You can find out more about this on Shelter’s website using the button below
• Your home is unfit due to refurbishment, demolition or condition issues
• Under-occupation, for example if you have children who have left home and feel your home is too large for you
• You need adapted and/or accessible housing, perhaps due to illness or disability
• You live in supported housing and are ready to move on
• Discretionary succession – we may agree for you to take on the tenancy of a family member or partner who has died
• You have multiple or complex needs
• You are moving from one bpha Independent Living scheme to another
• We have worked with you to agree a move to a home owned by a different housing association or council
• Housing management requirements, for example, we need to sell or demolish your home, or where works are substantial and cannot be completed around you.

The Allocations Policy shows the banding for each type of move. 

If we have agreed that you are eligible for a transfer to a new home we’ll aim to move you as soon as possible, however, it’s important to know that there is no set timescale. 

You will be placed on a waiting list, within your awarded band based on date, and will be offered a suitable home when one becomes available.

A move depends on the availability of a suitable home and what priority your case has been given. This means that a move could take months or even years.  The area and size of the home you want will also make a difference. Generally, the more bedrooms you need, the longer it takes.

Most bpha homes are allocated to customers through formal nomination agreements with local authorities. 75% of existing properties and 100% of newly built properties must be offered to the local authority for allocation. 

This means that only 25% of our existing properties can be let for transfers. Of the 25%, we must provide ‘move on’ homes to customers leaving supported housing and provide homes when we are due to sell or demolish the customer’s current home. This leaves a small number for us to use for transfers.

Due to the high demand for housing, we can only usually house people in priority need. If you are not accepted for a bpha transfer you should consider a mutual exchange, where two or more customers agree to swap homes.  This is often the fastest option and provides more choice of where you can move.

You can see below the number of transfers compared with mutual exchanges between 2023- 2025. In many cases, a mutual exchange can be a quicker and more practical option because only a small number of homes become available for us to use for transfers.

*This includes customers who needed to move because the property is being passed to a temporary housing provider, we are doing work to their existing home or it needed to be demolished due to a regeneration scheme, or the customer is moving on from supported housing.

As a decision has been made to prioritise your housing needs, we will make you one offer of accommodation that meets these.

It is very important you keep us up to date with your circumstances, household needs and preferences so that the property offered is suitable for you. We will offer a property that meets your medical, safety or caring responsibility needs as well as ensuring it’s affordable. We aim to offer a property in your preferred location, taking into account access to schools, family and medical facilities. However, due to the low number of properties available for transfer, if all other needs are met, we may need to offer you a property outside of the area you’ve requested.

If you reject your offer, you will not be offered any further accommodation by bpha and will lose your place on the transfer waiting list. If that happens, please speak with your local authority for further advice and assistance.

If you believe an offer is not reasonable for you, you have the right to appeal the decision.

You will have the opportunity to explain why the property offered does not meet your needs based on one or more of the following:

• Medical or disability reasons
• Affordability concerns
• Safety or wellbeing concerns
• Children or caring responsibilities.

The appeal will also look at whether important information was not considered, your circumstances were misunderstood, or the decision you were given by us didn’t explain why the offer is reasonable for you. It’s a good idea to include as much evidence as you can that supports what you tell us.

You will be invited to an appeal meeting to discuss your case. On your review request form, you can add the details of someone you would like to come to the meeting with you. You will be able to tell us about any access needs you have, including if you need a translator.

You can also request not to attend the meeting, which means the review will go ahead without you there. Your reason for appeal and all the evidence you provide before the meeting will be reviewed fairly whether you decide to attend or not.

If you do not understand your offer or your review rights, please contact us as soon as possible. We are committed to making fair decisions and explaining them clearly.

If you have any queries during the process, please contact your Housing Officer.