Housing Waiting List Sankey Diagram: Social Housing Template
Show how social housing applications sort into priority bands and end in accepted offers, declined offers, no response or still waiting. Illustrative figures.
A housing waiting list Sankey follows applicant households from the reason they applied to the priority band they are placed in, and then to what happened when an offer was made.
The example has 1,000 households. Overcrowded and homeless households are the widest applicant groups, and they sit mostly in the two highest bands. The offer column makes a point that a single waiting-list total cannot: the top band is nearly cleared, while the lowest band is mostly still waiting.
It also shows friction. Declined offers and households that do not respond are homes that were offered but not taken, and the picture shows which bands they come from. Use it to discuss supply and offer practice. It is illustrative only, and the bands and rules in the example are not those of any real allocation policy. Compare with /sankey/student-pathways for another cohort-style view.
How to read this diagram
- Overcrowded is the widest applicant group at 240 of 1,000 households, followed by general applicants at 230.
- Band A holds 210 households and 150 of them (71%) accepted an offer; only 25 are still waiting.
- 515 households (51.5%) are still waiting, including 140 of the 165 in Band D (85%).
- 165 households (16.5%) declined an offer or did not respond, most of them, 70, from Band B.
The data behind it
Invented figures for illustration. Not data about any real housing provider or council, and the bands are not any real allocation policy. Not an official statistic and not advice to any applicant.
| From | To | Amount (households) |
|---|---|---|
| Homeless or at risk | Band A: urgent | 120 |
| Homeless or at risk | Band B: high | 80 |
| Homeless or at risk | Band C: standard | 20 |
| Overcrowded | Band A: urgent | 20 |
| Overcrowded | Band B: high | 120 |
| Overcrowded | Band C: standard | 90 |
| Overcrowded | Band D: low | 10 |
| Medical or disability need | Band A: urgent | 60 |
| Medical or disability need | Band B: high | 50 |
| Medical or disability need | Band C: standard | 15 |
| Medical or disability need | Band D: low | 5 |
| Existing tenant seeking transfer | Band A: urgent | 10 |
| Existing tenant seeking transfer | Band B: high | 40 |
| Existing tenant seeking transfer | Band C: standard | 80 |
| Existing tenant seeking transfer | Band D: low | 50 |
| General applicant | Band B: high | 20 |
| General applicant | Band C: standard | 110 |
| General applicant | Band D: low | 100 |
| Band A: urgent | Offer accepted | 150 |
| Band A: urgent | Offer declined | 25 |
| Band A: urgent | No response | 10 |
| Band A: urgent | Still waiting | 25 |
| Band B: high | Offer accepted | 110 |
| Band B: high | Offer declined | 45 |
| Band B: high | No response | 25 |
| Band B: high | Still waiting | 130 |
| Band C: standard | Offer accepted | 50 |
| Band C: standard | Offer declined | 25 |
| Band C: standard | No response | 20 |
| Band C: standard | Still waiting | 220 |
| Band D: low | Offer accepted | 10 |
| Band D: low | Offer declined | 5 |
| Band D: low | No response | 10 |
| Band D: low | Still waiting | 140 |
The same data as CSV
source,target,value
Homeless or at risk,Band A: urgent,120
Homeless or at risk,Band B: high,80
Homeless or at risk,Band C: standard,20
Overcrowded,Band A: urgent,20
Overcrowded,Band B: high,120
Overcrowded,Band C: standard,90
Overcrowded,Band D: low,10
Medical or disability need,Band A: urgent,60
Medical or disability need,Band B: high,50
Medical or disability need,Band C: standard,15
Medical or disability need,Band D: low,5
Existing tenant seeking transfer,Band A: urgent,10
Existing tenant seeking transfer,Band B: high,40
Existing tenant seeking transfer,Band C: standard,80
Existing tenant seeking transfer,Band D: low,50
General applicant,Band B: high,20
General applicant,Band C: standard,110
General applicant,Band D: low,100
Band A: urgent,Offer accepted,150
Band A: urgent,Offer declined,25
Band A: urgent,No response,10
Band A: urgent,Still waiting,25
Band B: high,Offer accepted,110
Band B: high,Offer declined,45
Band B: high,No response,25
Band B: high,Still waiting,130
Band C: standard,Offer accepted,50
Band C: standard,Offer declined,25
Band C: standard,No response,20
Band C: standard,Still waiting,220
Band D: low,Offer accepted,10
Band D: low,Offer declined,5
Band D: low,No response,10
Band D: low,Still waiting,140How it works
Define the list and the date
Count households on the list at one date, with each household in one applicant type.
Enter the band for each type
Use your own banding scheme and count households from each applicant type in each band.
Add offer outcomes by band
Record accepted, declined, no response and still waiting for each band, using aggregate counts only.
Check the balance
Each band should send on exactly the households placed in it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I show several offers to the same household?
Count each household once, at its latest outcome, or add a stage for a second offer. Flows must still go to a column on the right.
Should I include names or reference numbers?
No. Use totals per category only. The diagram needs counts, not records.
Edit this housing waiting list Sankey
Open the example as your own chart and enter your aggregate counts by band.