Housing allocations - information and advice

Choiced Based Lettings

We have joined forces with other Kent authorities to bring choice based lettings to Kent. This will offer customers more choice about where they want to live. Due to the nature of the bidding system, customers will now have the opportunity to express interest in properties suitable for them.

Finding a Home through Choice Based Lettings (CBL)

All social landlords participating in CBL are committed to advertising their properties via the Homechoice website. The website is updated fortnightly and properties can be viewed on a Friday each fortnight.

There is also a magazine published which is free and is published fortnightly every Monday. The magazine can be picked up at various places including the Maidstone Gateway, Golding Homes Offices and libraries.

Once an applicant has viewed available properties, a bid for up to three properties can be placed per fortnightly advertising cycle. The bid must be placed before the closing date. The closing date for each bidding round can be found on the website or the magazine.

Property description

Properties advertised through the website/magazine will include details of:

• Location including name of the road
• Local facilities ie shop, school, bus route
• Type of property including who the landlord is
• Number of bedrooms and number of people suitable for the property
• Any adaptations for people with mobility problems/wheelchair users
• Services provided ( Scheme Manager)
• Heating type
• Rent for the property and where applicable an estimate of the service charge
• Any criteria for letting the property

Placing Bids

Bids for properties can be made on Kent Homechoice website by completing a coupon per edition; text from your mobile phone, by telephone or by contacting our Customer Services Advisor on 01622 602000.  The applicant will be able to bid from 9am to 12 noon the following Monday. The bids must reach Locata by 12 noon to be considered. The applicant can bid on the web from the previous Friday.

Information is also available through the Homechoice website, magazine and the Homechoice Scheme Users Guide booklet, explaining the variety of ways in which a bid can be placed for a property.

Once a bid has been placed, the council or the landlord will consider the bids placed for each property advertised. A list in priority order is produced of those applicants who are eligible to apply for each property.

When bids are considered for properties, priority will be given to bids from people with the highest points. If people with the same level of points bid for a property, priority will be given to the applicant who has been registered the longest.

Offer

If an applicant’s name appears at the top of the priority list, the council or the landlord will check the applicant’s circumstances to make sure the applicant is  still eligible for an offer. If an applicant refuses an offer, the next person on the priority list will be invited to view the property. Applicants’ are not penalised for refusing properties (some exception apply, for example if an applicant has been accepted as homeless, which is detailed in this policy) they have chosen. However checks about an applicants housing need might be made if several properties have been refused.

In many circumstances more then one person may be invited to view the property at the same time. This will help with the letting process, although the property is still offered to the member with the highest points that attends the viewing.

The applicant may also be asked by the RSL/Golding Homes to bring proof of identity documents to the viewing or sign up interview so that the applicant’s identify can be verified.

Feedback

All properties let are listed in future edition of the Homechoice magazine. Members will be told how many people bid for each property, as well as the points and registration date of the successful bidder. This will help to see how long the successful bidders have been waiting.

If an applicant has any queries about applying for properties, fully trained Customer Service Advisors and voluntary agencies will be available to support the applicant. If the applicant is a transfer applicant please speak to your landlord.