Which properties can I bid for?

The Home-Options Allocation Policies set out which properties you can bid for. This is normally determined by how many people are in your household, the age of any children and whether you need sheltered accommodation.

If you sign in, you will be able to see the properties you are eligible to bid for.

Deciding what to bid for

When choosing a property to bid for, you need to consider a number of things:

Is there an age restriction on the property?

Some properties have a minimum age requirement, for example, in some cases only people over 50 can apply.

Sheltered housing properties are usually for people aged 55 years or over (60 years or over in Amber Valley and Erewash). As well as a minimum age, your council or housing association may assess your need for sheltered housing.

If age limits apply these will be shown on the adverts.

Will I get a property in the area I want?

We encourage you to bid for any area in which you are interested. However, please bear in mind that preference will be given to applicants who have a local connection to that area, in the first instance.

If demand for homes is very high in the area you want, you may want to think about bidding for a home in nearby, lower-demand areas instead.

Can I afford the rent?

It's important to make sure that you can afford the rent for any property that you bid for. Check that you can afford the rent and any other bills associated with your new property - particularly if you are moving to a new area (the level of housing benefit may be different) or if you are renting your own home for the first time. Information about the level of housing benefit can be find on the Valuation Office webpage: https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx. Alternatively, you may want to look at the Turn2us website, which advises on a range of benenfits and grants that are available: https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Find-Benefits-Grants.

Be aware that most housing associations will now ask for rent in advance. Typically this is for one month. You will need to pay this before you can sign for the tenancy.

Some properties have a mobility sign

This is intended to provide a guide to people who have various levels of mobility needs.

This does not restrict anyone else from bidding for these properties but the advert will often say that priority will be given to household with mobility needs.

Pets

Some landlords will not allow you to keep a dog or a cat unless the property has its own garden. If you have a pet and there is no information on the advert, please check with the landlord before bidding.

Circumstances where you may not be invited to view a property

We always carry out a final check on your circumstances before we invite you to view a property.

You may not be invited to view the property if your circumstances have changed so it is important that you always tell us about any changes, such as a change of address or a change to the number of people in your household.

Before you bid

Check out the location of the property on the map to make sure it’s really a place you would consider moving to. Have a look at the local schools, facilities and transport links. Much landlord time is wasted trying to contact bidders who don’t attend viewings because they don’t really want to go to that area, so please take a bit of time to make sure it's the right property for you before you bid. If you are offered a property and you turn it down, it may count towards your number of refusals.

Please note: When you bid on a property, you agree that your information will be shared with the landlord so they can shortlist the bids. If you do not want your data to be shared with that landlord, then please do not bid upon their properties.