PennineLancashire

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Choice Based Lettings (CBL)?

Choice Based Lettings is a relatively new way of letting social rented properties. Vacant properties are advertised, as estate agents advertise properties for sale, and applicants on the housing register can choose which properties they wish to bid for. The bids are then ranked in order of priority and the property is offered to the bidder with the most priority.

Don’t be worried about the word ‘bid’; you won’t be parting with any money. All this means is that you are actively interested and wish to be considered for the home or homes you are applying for.

Why change?

The Government is committed to ensuring that council and housing provider’s customers have more choice and control over where they live and have set a target for all councils to have a CBL system in place by 2010.

How does CBL work?

Just like before the sub-regional scheme applicants will still need to apply to go on the Housing Register by completing a form. The application will be subject to all the checks that the housing associations / council carryout currently. The names of eligible applicants will be placed on the register and they can then bid for properties.

Under the new sub-regional B-with-us CBL scheme the points system will be replaced by 'banding'.

This means that once your application has been assessed and accepted you will then be placed in one of 4 eligibility bands. With band 1 being the highest and band 4 being standard need. People in the greatest housing need will be placed in the highest band.

Properties are advertised in a variety of ways - on the internet, at council offices and at a variety of other locations across the Boroughs.

People on the Housing Register will then be able to bid for any properties that they are eligible for. Bidding in this case means expressing an interest - it has nothing to do with money.

Bids can be made over the internet, by phone, text (SMS), Digital TV (Looking Local) or in person.

Who will get the property?

The successful bidder will usually be the one with the highest priority under the rules of the allocation scheme.

In some areas quota systems will be used to ensure sustainability of areas. If a quota system is used it will clearly state in the advert which advert will be given preference.

Information about the number of bids for each property, and the priority of the successful applicant, will be published so that you can see where there is the greatest demand. No personal details about applicants will be published.
Who will decide who has the highest priority?

The B-with-us partnership has developed a single sub-regional allocations policy in which we set out who is eligible to join the Housing Register, who will be able to bid for properties, and how priority will be decided.

How will CBL affect applicants?

We believe it will be in a positive way.

Although CBL can't make more homes available, it will give the applicant more choice. The applicant plays a more active role when they require a property or a transfer, actively 'bidding' for the properties that they are interested in living in.

What are the advantages of CBL?

Some of the benefits are:

• Customers can actively choose which home they would like to live in.
• Simplicity and openness - the feedback shows customers exactly how housing is being allocated.
• It gives a choice to customers who want social rented homes in the same way that customers using the private housing market have a choice.
• If customers are able to choose where they live they are more likely to stay there, which helps to make communities more stable
• It is easier for the customer to understand than the current system
• Allocation staff are no longer the 'gatekeepers' but are helping customers seek housing solutions

I'm currently on the housing waiting list. How will CBL affect me?

If you are currently on the waiting with a B-with-us partner housing provider in Pennine Lancashire then your details will automatically have been transferred to the housing register (new waiting list) and you will have had a letter to confirm this. Your original application date will still be carried forward. If you have an application with more than one of the partner landlords the date of the earliest application will be used to give you maximum possible chance when bidding for a property.

Will everyone have to place a bid under CBL to get a property? Will there be any exceptions?

 Yes, everyone will have to make a bid to get a home. However, in very rare occasions we may find it necessary to make a direct allocation. This means that a property may either be withdrawn from a bidding round or not advertised.
For example, this may happen where a tenant has to be moved urgently due to fire /flood or other natural disaster situation. This information will be published for transparency and fairness.

What type of property can I bid for?

You can bid for any type of property you are eligible for. We will advise you of this in your assessment letter. Certain restrictions will apply e.g.

• You will not be able to bid for homes considered too small for your needs
• Adapted properties may be reserved for people with specific mobility problems or other disabilities
• Certain types of ground floor accommodation may be offered only to people with specific needs
• Sheltered accommodation is only available to people who meet the age or disability criteria
• In some cases there will be age restrictions

Will I be more successful if I bid early?

No. Your bid is worth the same whether you bid on the first day or the last day of the bidding cycle. But your queue position will change as other people make their bids, so you may appear higher up the list early in the bidding cycle.

Can I still bid for a property if I have rent arrears on my current tenancy?

You can bid for properties you are eligible for but we will not normally make you an offer of accommodation if you are in rent arrears. You will need to make appropriate arrangements to pay off your rent arrears. Please speak to your housing provider for more information.

If I give you my reference number can you say where I am on the list?

There’s no way to tell you where you are on the list because it changes from day to day. When you express an interest in a home we can tell you where you are at that moment in time. But this could change within a few minutes, hours or days, if other people then show an interest in that same home.

Can I express an interest in a home on someone else’s behalf?

Yes as long as we have their permission that you can do this. But we can’t tell you the results (whether an offer is likely to be made or not).

How long will it take to get a home?

We really can’t tell. It depends which homes you’re interested in, how many other people are interested in the same homes and which of you have been registered the longest. However, we publish the registration date of the successful applicants for each property, so you can use this as a guide to waiting time.

What’s the advertising cycle?

We advertise a new list of available homes every week beginning on a Thursday. These homes are advertised for six days and the closing date for expressing an interest in any of them is midnight every Tuesday.

Why are there age restrictions on some homes?

Some groups of homes are designed for older residents. These properties, known as “sheltered housing”, have support services tailored to meet the needs of elderly people. We can normally only house people 60 years and over in sheltered housing, although some schemes accept people from 55 years. Offering sheltered homes to younger people would affect other residents’ rights.

The housing register application form mentions 'proofs' - what do I need to provide with my application?

For every application we require proof of ID for every adult member of the household (to be re-housed) and only one proof of your current address; however, if household members live at different addresses we will require a proof per address.

We DO NOT require originals to be sent to us - photocopies are preferred.