Frequently asked questions by Bournemouth HomeChoice members.
Why is the banding categorised into Green, Amber and Red?
The law requires councils and housing associations to let their homes (“social housing”) to the people who are in most housing need. The Bournemouth HomeChoice scheme follows the legal definition of “housing need” closely, and categorizes housing need into Green, Amber and Red bands.
Green Band –applicants on this band will have a significant housing need, eg severe overcrowding, a high medical level, suffering persistent harassment or risk of violence, living in property of poor condition that has been assessed by the Healthy Homes Team (Environmental Health) as a Category 1 Hazard, etc….
Amber Band –applicants on this band will have some housing need, e.g. overcrowding (1 bedroom short), medium medical level, suffering some harassment, property needs some repair as assessed by the Healthy Homes Team as a Category 2 Hazard, sharing facilities with others not on the application, etc..
Red Band - applicants on this band will have no identified housing need.
There is also a Priority Band for applicants who have a very urgent need to move. We do not expect many applicants to qualify for this band. Very careful consideration will be given to ensure these applicants are genuine cases.
How long will I wait before being housed?
As this scheme is in its infancy it is not possible at this time to give you estimated time scales.
There are variables depending on what band you are in, the length of time you have been on the register, how many bedrooms you need, and what you bid for.
If you place restrictions on what you are prepared to accept your wait will be longer than average.
After each bidding round you will be able to see what band successful applicants were on and what date they joined the register. From this you may be able to get an idea of your possible waiting time.
How long is the waiting time if I’m Red Band?
Due to the high housing need in Bournemouth and the length of the housing register it is unlikely an applicant in Red band would win a bid, however there may be occasions where a harder to let property does not attract bids from applicants in higher bands and may be available to bidders in Red band, this particularly applies to sheltered studio flats.
We register you even though your case only warrants Red band because it is your legal right to make an application to join any Local Authority Housing Register. But we would encourage you to seek alternative options to solve your housing problem, such as mutual exchange, low cost home ownership or private sector renting. The Housing Solutions Team will be happy to advise, please contact us on 01202 451467.
How can I get our banding reassessed - we are overcrowded/ disabled/ ill etc?
Housing officers assessing applications will take into account all the information you supply with your housing application. You will need to provide written evidence from a relevant profession to support your claim of housing need. An assessment of your needs cannot be completed without supporting information.
If your circumstances have changed since your last assessment, eg change of address, medical needs, family members leaving or joining the application, we will ask you to complete a Change of Circumstances Form.
You will need to provide evidence to support these changes and until this new information and evidence has been provided, your housing application will become “inactive” and you will not be able to take part in the bidding process.
How are bids processed?
When bidding closes, lists of bidders for each property are compiled by Locata, the company that process our bids.
Applicants on each property list will be placed in order by band and priority date.
Bidders in Green band come first, in priority date order, followed by those in Amber and then Red band
Those who are not eligible for that property are greyed out on the list.
It does not matter when you place your bid in the bidding cycle as long as it is received by the deadline.
These lists are sent to our allocation team. They look at the top 3 bidders in each list. The question below explains what happens next.
How will I know I have been successful with an offer?
If you are in the top 3 eligible bidders for a property, we will contact you initially by phone. We will need to go through a verification checklist and may ask you to provide proof of some of the information you have given us. At a later date you will contacted by the landlord or housing provider to arrange to visit you or invite you to view the property.
If you haven’t informed us of any changes in your application your bid will be unsuccessful.
We will not be able to accept further bids until your application is updated.
What information will I need to place a bid?
You will need your Housing registration number and your date of birth. If you do not have your registration number, The Housing Solutions Team will be happy to advise, please contact us on 01202 451467,
How do I find out my registration date?
You will find this on correspondence from the Housing Solutions Team or
will be happy to advise once they have asked you some questions to verify who you are, please contact us on 01202 451467
When can I place a bid?
You can place your bid from 12 noon on a Friday until 1 pm on a Wednesday. It does not matter when you place your bid in the bidding cycle as long as it is received by the deadline.
How many properties can I bid on?
You can bid for as many properties as you like as long as you are eligible for them.
If you are unsure which properties you are eligible to bid on The Housing Solutions Team will be happy to advise, please contact us on 01202 451467
I have bid on Bournemouth HomeChoice , where am I in the queue?
You can check on the DorsetHomeChoice website your position in the queue for any of the properties you bid for. If you were near the top of the list for some properties but not for others this should give you some idea of the types of properties and areas for which your bids may be more successful.
If you don’t have access to the internet The Housing Solutions Team will be happy to advise, please contact us on 01202 451467,
Will I be contacted if I am not successful with an offer?
No, due to the volume of bids we will receive. However, you can check on the DorsetHomeChoice website your position in the queue for any of the properties you bid for.
Why are people with a later priority date or lower band than me being offered property when I am not?
OR
Why isn’t my bid accepted?
There could be several reasons for this, you will need to contact The Housing Solutions Team on 01202 451467 to find out which applies to you.
Examples may include:
a) Your bid was received after the deadline
b) Your household size is outside the minimum or maximum allowed for the property
c) The property advert states priority will be given to a specific group of applicants
d) You have been registered with a specific mobility level and bid for a property which we consider unsuitable for someone with that mobility level.
e) The property belongs to a housing association who have applied their own restrictions.
f) The property was reserved for transferring tenants whereas you are a homeseeker.
g) We are verifying your circumstances
I am having problems with bidding on DorsetHomeChoice; it’s not recognizing my registration number.
You may have entered your registration number or date of birth wrongly on our computer system.
Your registration may have been cancelled if:-
a) you did not reply to a renewal letter to renew your application
b) your application has been suspended
You will need to contact The Housing Solutions Team on 01202 451467 to check this.
Can I have the Bournemouth HomeChoice property list sent to me?
You can pick up a free copy of the weekly property list from Council offices, Housing Association offices and Libraries in Bournemouth. You can also view the property list on-line at the HomeChoice website www.dorsethomechoice.org This service is free of charge in our local Libraries.
You can have the list posted to you each week by subscribing. Please send a cheque or postal order for £8.70 made payable to Locata (Housing Services) for 3 months subscription and send, together with your identification number and mailing address to:
Bournemouth Homechoice, PO Box 406, Ruislip, HA4 4EX
What does shortlisting mean?
It means placing people in their order of priority. This will be by band and date order. The person at the top of the shortlist would be the person who is in the highest band and who has been waiting the longest out of the eligible people who have placed a bid.
I've seen a vacant property on "........Road". Can I express an interest in that property directly?
Applicants no longer need to express an interest in a particular property directly as they will have the opportunity to bid for that property alongside all our other Bournemouth HomeChoice members when it is advertised.
If you don’t see it advertised it is likely to be because:-
• It may not be available at this time or may not be available through Bournemouth Homechoice.
• It may not be empty.
• It’s not a council-owned property
• It requires major works or is under re-development.
• It may not be open for bidding.
Why is it that 4 bed properties are not advertised often in Bournemouth HomeChoice?
Because there is a severe shortage of them, when they are available they will be advertised.
Is the length of time I have been on the Housing Register the main factor in increasing my priority?
Your band is the main measure of priority and then the length of time on the Register within that band, so if you are in Amber or Red band it is possible that you will be overtaken by Green band members. However if you have been waiting a long time you could be highly placed within your band.