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.

Housing Options has just introduced a new scheme to help people on the council housing register to find accommodation suited to their need. Below are details relating to the new project.

'What is the project?'

The scheme is an enhancement to the current Choice Based Lettings service. From May 28th, applicants on the housing list will be able to bid on Council housing, Housing Association (RSL) and privately rented properties.

Why was it set up?

The project was set up as it was established that applicants on the housing register could be waiting for many years for a Council or Housing Association property. We also realised that many applicants were living in accommodation that didn’t meet their needs which could be improved if we were able to make private rented accommodation more available. The private rented sector accounts for about 20% of all accommodation in Bournemouth. This works out at about 16,000 homes which is twice the amount of the social housing stock. There are many types of housing ranging from bedsits to five bedroom houses. We are giving another housing option to those people on the waiting list.

When will the website go live?

The website will go live for applicants on May 28th and will follow the same bidding cycle as the Council and RSL properties. Private Sector Landlords will be able to access the site before this date. Private Sector landlords will be able to place their own adverts on the site after they have registered with us.

How will applicants use the new facility?

Applicants will use the private rented section of the site in exactly the same way as they do the rest of the website. When the applicant logs onto their account they will be able to access the private property section.

When applicants look at the CBL website they will be able to see that the social housing is coloured yellow and blue and the private rented sector is colour coded green. Apart from the different colour coding, the layout and format is the same.

Applicants will bid on the private rented properties in exactly the same way as for social housing. If they win the bid they will be invited to view the property and if they like it they will be able to sign up to a tenancy.

This service is only available through internet bidding at the present time.

The applicant can bid on anything in the private sector but filters have been built into the website to only accept the bids from the applicant that meet their housing eligibility or criteria.

There will be no restriction on refusals.

When applicant’s bidding history is viewed, it will show all bids made whether they be privately rented properties or social housing

Please note:
Applicant must be made aware that Private Sector landlords may require rent in advance and a deposit which they will have to fund themselves. These landlords also only offer Assured Shorthold Tenancies.

What will happen to applicants’ housing applications if they are win a bid and are offered accommodation?

Once the applicant has moved, we will send them a Change of Circumstances form and we will re-assess their application in the normal way taking in account whether they are still in housing need. We will not remove their application from the Housing Register unless this is requested however it is likely the banding of their housing application will be lowered.

Where will people find out about the new scheme?

We will be advertising the changes on the BBC and CBL website. Various publications such as BH Life, Echo, Home News etc. Leaflets will be placed in libraries, housing offices, community centres, and many other places where the public has access.

Who is supporting this new project?

The Communities and Local Government are in support of this project and have provided initial funding to get us started. We will be classed as a Local Lettings Agency which will act in a similar way to any other lettings agent but we will only consider applicants on the Council housing waiting list for these vacancies which consists of over seven thousand households.

How do Private Sector Landlords get involved?

Landlords will need to contact us at the council to register their details. A contract and an Accreditation application form will be sent out to them. When these are sent back, a personal ID and password will be allocated to them so that they can start uploading the property details that they wish to advertise on the Choice Based Lettings Website.

Landlords have agreed to work co-operatively with us in trying to ensure their rents meet the Local Housing Allowance wherever possible.

The name of the landlord will not be shown on the advertisement and will only be given to the applicant if they are nominated for the property.

What do we do with the property?

Once the advert is uploaded, it goes into a holding area on the website. This is done for two reasons.

The first reason is so that the advert can be checked for any amendments that need to be done. The adverts for the Private Sector landlord will follow the same bidding cycle as the social housing adverts.

The second reason is that while the advert is in the holding area, the Homeless Prevention team will have first opportunity of filling the property as the Council will always give priority to Homelessness Prevention for private rented properties. If the property is not taken by the time the bidding cycle starts, the advert will be placed on the website. Applicants will be able to bid for the property in the same way as social properties.

How do we allocate the property?

Once bidding has closed we will select suitable applicants and provide up to 3 nominations to the landlord. Only the applicant’s name and contact number will be given to the landlord. We will try and allocate properties in line with banding and time waiting. However the landlord may place certain restrictions on his property through the number of tenants he will accept or type of tenant that he is looking for and we will work co-operatively to meet the landlord’s requirements. This is because we do not have nominations rights on private landlord’s properties and the Allocations Policy does not apply to private rented accommodation.

Accreditation Scheme

Landlords are asked to join the Responsible Landlords Accreditation Scheme. This is to ensure that a good standard of accommodation and property management is achieved.

Aftercare

After three months, Bournemouth Borough Council will contact both the Landlord and tenant to make sure the tenancy is going well. This gives both the landlord and tenant an opportunity to voice any concerns they may have. It also gives our department a chance to provide information about other agencies that may be able to support either party if needed. We will be able to give access to floating support should the tenant need it and support to maintain the tenancy will also be given.