West Dorset HomeChoice

All housing association properties that become available in West Dorset are advertised so that people on the housing register can say if they want to be considered.

This way of allocating social housing is called choice based lettings and is called Dorset HomeChoice locally.

Where are properties advertised?

Available properties are advertised every Wednesday at noon. There are a number of ways you can get this information:

On this website This week's properties
Call 01305 252427
Visit West Dorset District Council or Magna Housing Association offices
Adverts will also be available in a number of locations throughout the district including town council offices, libraries and Citizens Advice Bureau offices

Properties are advertised by road name and area. Please respect the privacy of the families living in the properties by not asking them for private viewings. Anyone found to have approached occupiers of properties advertised through HomeChoice will not have their bid for the property considered.

How do I bid for a property?

When you have seen a property you like, first check that you are eligible to bid for it. For instance:

Some properties (known as "sheltered" properties) are only available for people over the age of 60
Landlords may not accept pets in some properties
You should make sure that the property matches your household size

Some advertisements will say that priority will be given to certain groups of people – if this is the case and you are not in that group you can still bid for the property, but be aware that you are less likely to be successful.

You can place a bid in the following ways:

Complete a coupon sent to you in March and post it or bring it to the Housing Advice Centre, Stratton House, 58-60 High West Street, Dorchester DT1 1UZ
Phone 01305 251010
Email homechoice@westdorset-dc.gov.uk

Bidding closes at noon on Tuesday and no late bids can be considered. You must allow enough time for any posted bids to be delivered before the close of bidding.

When placing a bid you must always tell us your housing register number, your name, address, contact telephone number, and the unique code for each property advertised.

How will I know if my bid has been successful?

If you are the bidder in the highest band, with a local connection and the longest registration date, you will usually be told this in a provisional offer notice which will be sent to you in the post by the housing association landlord. It is important that you reply to the notice as soon as possible, or the property may be offered to someone else.

It is not possible for us to tell everyone who has placed a bid whether or not they have been successful. If you have not heard anything within two weeks of bidding closing, you should assume that you have not been successful. You should continue bidding while you wait to find out whether or not you have been successful.

Banding

You will have been told which band you are in – green, amber or red. This depends on your identified housing need. The green band is for those in high housing need, and the red band is for those with no identified housing need. Categories of housing need are defined by the government.

A very few households, whose need to move is considered to be urgent, may be placed in a priority band for a fixed amount of time.

Advertisements for properties may be given a band, to let you know who is likely to be considered for that property.

How long will I have to wait for a property?

This will depend on a number of things – what band you are in, what sort of property you need, where you want to live, and so on. We publish feedback reports with the property advertisements to give you information about successful bidders for properties we have advertised - what band they were in, whether or not they had a local connection, and their effective date. This information does not identify individuals, but allows you to make informed choices about properties you bid for.

The assisted bidding list

Some people may not be in a position to use the HomeChoice scheme themselves. In most cases these people will be identified through their application form. We will consider whether they can be supported by someone appropriate.

If they do not have someone able to do this, we operate an assisted bidding list, so that bids are placed by West Dorset District Council staff for applicants. Please let us know if you think you will need help with bidding for properties.

What happens if I refuse a property?

If you successfully bid for and are offered a property, we would usually expect that you would accept it. If you refuse two offers of properties we will contact you to discuss your bidding and to make sure that you fully understand the process. We may also re-assess your application to make sure you have been placed in the correct band to reflect your housing need.

Housing options

You will see from the advertisements and feedback that there is a limited supply of social rented housing available in the area. If you are in the red or amber bands it may be that other housing options would better suit your needs. Please contact the Housing Advice Centre on 01305 251010 if you want to discuss other options.

HomeChoice in five easy steps

Check the property advertisements every week
Be realistic about the properties you are bidding for
Make sure your bid reaches us before bidding closes
Check the feedback about recent lettings to inform your choices
Don't give up – keep on bidding

More information

If you have questions or concerns about how the HomeChoice system will work for you, please contact us.

This week's properties
Here is a list of six properties that you can bid for. Please only bid for properties where your household size fits the eligibility criteria in the advert and please only bid once for each property that you are interested in.