Kent Homechoice
Freesheet Changes
From 1st April 2011 we are changing the times you can bid for
homes on Kent Homechoice. Bidding will start at 8am on Friday 1st
April, and close at 1pm on Wednesday 6th April. The next bidding
cycle will start on the 15th April.
This means you can start bidding earlier on the Friday, but
bidding will also close five days earlier. We receive most bids in
the first few days, so by reducing the bidding times we can make
quicker decisions on who can be offered homes.
If you have any queries or concerns please contact your local
housing office.
Bid by Internet, Phone, & TV
You can bid through the internet, by using digital TV, by phone,
by text, by coupon or with the assistance of staff.
If you think you may experience difficulty with this change
please contact your local housing office. We will send you a
personalised freesheet if you have no other means to access the
service.
Kent Homechoice is the Choice Based Lettings scheme for all
council and housing association homes in Kent.
Kent Homechoice gives you more choice about where you want to
live. You will now have the chance to express an interest in vacant
homes that are suitable for you.
Every two weeks the bidding cycles begin on the Website on
Fridays from 5pm, this begins the bidding cycle for that
edition.
About Choice Based Lettings
Choice based lettings is a new approach to letting council and
housing association homes. It is designed to offer a system which
is easy to understand, open and fair and gives everybody the chance
to exercise some real choice over where they live. Rather than
homes being allocated by the council, choice based
lettings allows tenants and prospective tenants to bid for the
empty homes they are interested in.
Available homes are advertised on the internet which
allows applicants to see what council or housing association
housing is available in the area. This enables them to play a
greater role in the process of selecting their home.
Choice based lettings will not increase the amount of available
social housing. However, people seeking re-housing have accurate
information on how many homes are actually available, where these
homes are located and their chances of being housed. As the system
is much more transparent, housing applicants have all the
information necessary to make their own informed choices.
Bidding
All people registered for housing can apply or ‘bid’ for the
homes advertised. There is no cost involved in the bidding
process. Bidding can be done through the Internet at www.kenthomechoice.org.uk,
by phone, text, digital TV or by special coupon.
People can only bid for property that is suitable for the size
of their household and there is a maximum of three bids per
fortnight.
A shortlist of bidders is drawn up and the applicant with the
highest priority will be offered the property. If they choose
not to accept the property it will be offered to the next highest
bidder and so on. There is no penalty for refusing an offer.
Other Options
One of the advantages of the scheme is that it helps people
understand the likelihood of being re-housed. People are more
likely to consider options other than being housed by the council
or housing associations.
There are many other alternatives to social housing available to
people in the Dover District and we will regularly publicise
alternative options, such as the council’s Rent Deposit Bond
Scheme, and promote the role of the Housing Options Team in working
with people to resolve their housing difficulties.
Choice based lettings will also provide a forum to advertise
opportunities for shared ownership, and hopefully in the future,
private rented options.
Support
Other statutory and voluntary agencies that support vulnerable
members of the community will have an important role in ensuring
their clients benefit from choice based lettings. We will
help train these agencies so they can support their clients to bid
for properties. Our staff will also provide advice and
support.
There will be a variety of ways to bid and people will be
able to choose a method that best suits them. Information
will be available in public areas and support workers or relatives
can bid on behalf of others who may have problems otherwise. We
will monitor which registered applicants do not bid, to find out
why and to see if there is anything we can do to help.
For further information
You can contact the Housing Needs Section on 01304 872265 or
email:housingneeds@dover.gov.uk
Contact
Tel: 01304 872265
Email: housingneeds@dover.gov.uk
