21.21 Part 6 of the HA 1996 governs the LHA allocation of social housing, either within its own stock or through a nomination to a housing association. LHAs are required to have and to publish an allocation scheme for determining priorities and for defining the procedures to be followed in allocating housing accommodation, and they must allocate in accordance with that scheme. Certain persons from abroad specified in regulations are ineligible to be allocated social housing. Otherwise, Local Authorities may set their own criteria determining who qualifies to go onto their housing waiting list.

21.22 An allocation scheme must be framed in such a way that overall reasonable preference for an allocation goes to certain categories of persons. These are:

• People who are homeless within the meaning of Part 7 of the HA 1996.
• People living in unsanitary, overcrowded or unsatisfactory housing.
• People who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability.
• People who need to move to a particular locality in the district of the authority, where failure to meet that need would cause hardship to themselves or to others.