Tips for bidding for a council home
After you successfully apply for council housing and receive an email/letter confirming you are on the waiting list, you are able to bid for available properties through our choice-based letting system. Here are our top tips for making a bid. Before you read them, make sure you are familiar with how our choice-based letting system works.
1. Get organised – don’t miss your bid
You are allowed to bid for one property every week. You probably will not be successful straightaway, as there are many more people on the housing register than there is housing available. If you make a bid every week, it is likely you will be successful more quickly than you would if you bid less often.
You can bid at any time during the bidding cycle – and properties are not allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. So, set aside a time to bid each week. Perhaps even set yourself a reminder on your smartphone.
- What is a bidding cycle? See: How our choice-based lettings system works
2. Bid from anywhere
You need to get online to search for properties. We do not publish the list of properties anywhere else. If you have a smartphone, tablet or computer, you can search properties and make your bid at home or on the go.
If you don’t have access to the internet, you can visit a local library.
3. Your bid is precious - don’t waste it
Remember, you can only make one bid a week. Make sure you understand what types of property you are eligible for, and do not waste your bid by choosing a property that does not fit. It is true that the online system will not allow you to bid for properties that you are obviously not eligible for - but it does not cover everything. You are not necessarily eligible for all the properties you can bid for.
Read the advert carefully. If you are the successful bidder and it turns out you are not eligible for the property, we will disregard the bid. You will then have to try again in the next bidding cycle.
4. Be flexible
Try to be as flexible as possible regarding the properties and areas you would be willing to live in, and be realistic about your needs.
If you are open-minded about things like the area you live in, the number of rooms, and the floor the property is on, you are more likely to be successful more quickly.
5. Be sure you'd live there - refusing an offer could have consequences
If you refuse an offer that we or the relevant housing association believe to have been reasonable, it may result in you being removed from the housing register altogether. This would mean starting again with a new application for the housing register, and a new banding date if your application is successful.
We do not consider it reasonable to refuse a property because you decide you don't like the area.
6. Do your research
Every month we release figures showing the number of people on the waiting list for council housing, broken down by band and bedroom needs. Engaging with this information can help you to set a realistic expectation about how quickly you will be housed.