Community

Surrey Heath Home Choice

News for customers on the Joint Housing Register
Housing Associating homes in Surrey Heath are let through a Choice Based Lettings Scheme. This means that we advertise available properties and you tell us which ones you would like to be considered for.

How does it work?

Step one:
Every Wednesday we advertise the housing association homes that are becoming
available.

The adverts are like estate agent adverts, telling you the type of property available, where it is, how much the rent is, along with other details like whether there is a garden or garage.

The adverts are displayed in the Council and Accent Peerless offices, on the Internet and are posted to the people at the top of the Joint Housing Register.

Step two:
You bid for the properties that you would like to rent. A bid does not involve money: it is you saying 'yes, I want to be considered for this home'. In fact, what you are bidding with is the points that you have on the Joint Housing Register.

The adverts say who is eligible to bid. For example if it is a three bedroom family home then single people will not be able to bid, and if it is a bedsit people then with children will not be able to bid.

You can bid:

By telephoning on: 01276 707500
By e-mail to: homechoice@surreyheath.gov.uk
By post to: HomeChoice, Surrey Heath Borough Council, Knoll Road, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 3HD
In-person at the Council Offices.
Directly through the website: View properties and make a bid

You must make your bid by the closing date shown on the advert or your bid will not count - bids will always close at noon on a Tuesday.

You can only bid for properties that have been advertised.

Step three:
When bidding has closed we take everyone who has made a bid, check that they qualify for the property and put them in order of their points.

The home is then offered to the bidder with the most points. If they change their mind it will be offered to the person with the next highest points.

People with arrears that have not been addressed or who are under notice for anti-social behaviour will not be counted as qualifying even if they have high points.

How will I know if I have been successful?
Successful bidders will be called within 2 days of the bidding closing.

If you have not been successful you will not hear directly. We will put feedback on the website and in a regular newsletter. This will include the bidding details of successful customers so you know how many points and how long people have been on the Housing Register when they make successful bids, and how many properties have been available.

Will all the homes go to the people at the top of the Housing Register?
There will be people at the top of the Housing Register who want to wait for a home in a certain area. This means that they will choose not to bid for other properties and this will allow customers with fewer points to make successful bids.

Popular properties like houses will attract lots of bids and are more likely to go to people at the top of the Housing Register. We will give you regular feedback so that you can see what your points are worth. For example you may see that although you would ideally like a house, people with more points are always getting them. On the other hand flats may be going to people who have bid with fewer points than you. It will then be your choice whether you change the way you bid to secure a housing association home.

You can find out what points you have and where you are on the Joint Housing Register by calling the Council, or if you are a Accent Peerless Tenant by calling the Customer Advisory Team at Accent Peerless offices.

There will be some properties, such as those adapted for wheelchairs, which will benefit customers with special needs. These will first be offered directly to such customers and will not be advertised as part of SurreyHeath HomeChoice.

If you would like this information in another format or language please contact:

Housing Needs Team
01276 707127
housing@surreyheath.gov.uk.