There are five steps for you to follow in order to choose your new home:

Step 1 - Membership

You are automatically a member of Bournemouth HomeChoice if Bournemouth Council accepts you onto the Housing Register. If you are not on the Housing Register you can apply on-line at www.bournemouth.gov.uk or contact the Housing Solutions Team for a paper application form. If you need more information about whether you are eligible, please contact the Housing Solutions Team at Bournemouth Council.

Step 2 - Registration

Once your completed application has been assessed and you have been included on the Housing Register, we will write to you. We will tell you what band you are in, the size of property you are eligible for and your unique Bournemouth HomeChoice number. You will also be sent a Scheme User Guide and a batch of postal bidding coupons. If there are any changes to your household, accommodation or personal circumstances you must contact the Housing Solutions Team at Bournemouth Council and let us know. You may have to complete another form and provide us with evidence. It is very important that we know any changes as it may change your band, or the type of property you are eligible for.

Step 3 - Bidding

You can bid for as many properties as you like (so long as you are eligible for them) in each weekly cycle. For example, if you are eligible for a two bed property and there is a two bed house and 3 two bed flats advertised, you can choose to bid for all 4 properties. Properties are advertised in a property list called Bournemouth HomeChoice and on the website www.dorsethomechoice.org There is more information about how to get the property list on page 9. The weekly cycle runs from 12.00 noon Friday to 1pm the following Wednesday. Your bids must reach us by 1pm Wednesday to be considered.
The adverts give you information about each property available for letting and a photograph will be included if available.

You can bid in 4 ways:

1. On the internet - go to www.dorsethomechoice.org and log on with your unique Bournemouth HomeChoice number and your date of birth. Follow the instructions on screen.

2. By telephone – call 01202 454 700 and follow the instructions. See pages 10/11 about bidding by telephone.

3. By coupon - When you are first registered we will send blank coupons with your registration pack. Your coupons have your name and Bournemouth HomeChoice number printed on them. This number is unique to you so no one else can use your coupons. See page 12 about how to complete your coupons. To request more coupons, simply tick the box on the coupon when you send it back or contact the Housing Solutions Team and ask for more coupons. They will be posted to you.

4. By text message – see page 11 about bidding by text.

Step 4 - Offer

At the end of the weekly bid period, all bids for each property are put in priority order based on the banding and Relevant Date. If two bidders are in the same band, the person who has been registered the longest is put first. A shortlist of applicants is then produced. The top bidder from each shortlist will be contacted by the relevant landlord. If they refuse the property, or if the landlord decides the offer is not suitable, the property is then offered to the next person on the list,and so on. If you are offered the property and then refuse it, it may count as a refusal of a reasonable offer. If you refuse two reasonable offers, your application may be demoted to a lower band. If you are offered a property, you will not be offered another property until you have made a decision on the first offer.

Step 5 - Feedback

It is not possible to notify you individually when your bids have been unsuccessful but you can get this information from the website (see ‘bidding history’ after you have logged in), or see the Bournemouth HomeChoice leaflet. All properties that have been advertised will be listed on the Feedback page of the leaflet once they have been let. This tells you how many people bid for each property as well as the band of the successful bidder.