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| Quality Homes for Shropshire | |
Help with Shropshire HomePoint
Shropshire Council operates a Choice Based Letting Scheme called Shropshire HomePoint, in partnership with housing associations across Shropshire. There is one common housing list for the County. Frequently Asked QuestionsClick on the points below to find out more information about the HomePoint scheme 
Is all social housing in the County covered by the new Scheme?
What are the benefits of Choice Based Lettings?
How will I apply to Shropshire HomePoint?
Who can help me to use the new Scheme?
What are the bands and how will I know which one applies to me?
Does it matter how long I have been on the Housing Register?
Will all available properties be advertised - and how often?
How will I find out about available properties?
How much information will the property adverts contain?
What sort of home can I choose?
What will I need to do if I'm interested in a property?
Will I be able to view the property before I bid for it?
Can I bid for more than one property at a time?
How will I know if others are bidding for the same property as me?
How will you decide who is offered the property?
If I bid earlier will I have more chance of getting the property?
How will I know if my bid has been successful?
Can I use Shropshire HomePoint if I' waiting to be rehoused as homeless?
What if things change?
Are there any restrictions on new housing developments?
Are there other types of restrictions on who may be allocated a property?
I've noticed a property close to me has recently become empty - can I apply for
it?
What do I do if I want to apply for housing in Shropshire from a housing association
which is not part of Shropshire HomePoint?
What can I do if I'm not happy with the way my application has been handled?
Is all social housing in the County covered by the new Scheme?Most social housing in the County will be covered by Shropshire HomePoint. This includes homes owned by:
The Scheme includes rented and shared-ownership housing. We are hoping other housing associations in the County will join Shropshire HomePoint in the future
What are the benefits of Choice Based Lettings?There are a number of benefits of the new Scheme:
How will I apply to Shropshire HomePoint?If you are a new applicant, you will need to fill out an application form to join the housing register. We will make sure that you are eligible to join the scheme and work out your housing need. With so little housing available, only a small number of people registering with Shropshire HomePoint are likely to be re-housed. So, it is really important for HomePoint to ensure those most in need have the best opportunity to secure permanent housing. To do this HomePoint uses a 'banding system' to calculate those most in need. There are four main bands (levels) of housing need, Priority, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Who can help me to use the new Scheme?HomePoint staff and staff from any of the partner agencies can help you to complete your application form. If you need help to bid you can ask a relative, friend, carer or support worker to help you or to make a bid on your behalf. If you would prefer information to be sent to a different address or would like to nominate someone to act on your behalf, please let us know.
What are the housing need bands and how will I know which one applies to me?The housing need bands are explained in detail in the Shropshire Affordable Housing Allocation Scheme document and summarised in our Scheme Booklet. Please call us for further information. In brief, Priority Band covers applicants in the greatest housing need who are considered to have an urgent need to move due to a serious risk to their health, safety or well-being. Applicants in Gold Band have a high housing need but there is not an urgent risk to their health, safety or well-being. Applicants in Silver Band have moderate housing need and wish to move. Applicants in Bronze Band have been assessed as having relatively low housing need. Your housing need will be assessed based on the information you provide on your application form. It is important you tell us about anything you feel may help us to place you in the correct band for your circumstances. The band date is important if more than one person in the same band applies for an advertised home. It will be awarded as follows:
Does it matter how long I have been on the Housing Register?Once we have received your completed housing application form, along with any documents or further information required, your application will become 'live' and you will be given a 'Registration Date'. This registration date is taken into account if two or more people in the same housing need band apply for the same property. The applicant who has the earliest registration date (normally because they have been on the housing register longer) will be given priority. If your circumstances change and you move into a higher band, your registration date will change to the date the higher band was awarded. If you move to a lower band, you will keep your original registration date.
Will all available properties be advertised - and how often?Yes - all properties will be advertised. A list of available properties will be published every week (except for Christmas and New Year)
How will I find out about available properties?All properties will be advertised on the Shropshire HomePoint website (www.shropshirehomepoint.co.uk on a weekly basis (except Christmas and New Year)). They will also be advertised in selected local free newspapers. We are currently consulting to decide which papers would be best across the County and will notify applicants shortly of which papers we will be using. We will post out property details to people who do not have access to the internet or to the free papers, and also to people who are vulnerable and would prefer a weekly mailing.
How much information will the property adverts contain?The adverts will (wherever possible) have a photograph of the property and will give details of the:
What sort of home can I choose?You may not be eligible for every property available. For example, if you are single you can apply for a 1 bedroom flat, but it is unlikely that you would get a 3 bedroom house. IMPORTANT - Please read the text carefully on property adverts as this will provide a good guide as to whether you can apply for a particular home or not.
What will I need to do if I'm interested in a property?If you are interested in an advertised property and you meet the eligibility criteria, you will need to 'bid' (apply for) the property before the closing date on the advert. You will be able to bid via the Shropshire HomePoint website, by post, by telephone or by visiting any of the Shropshire HomePoint partner offices.
Will I be able to view the property before I bid for it?Property descriptions will include an area address so you could view the area. Viewings of the actual property will be offered to the successful applicant as soon as possible after an offer has been made.
Can I bid for more than one property at a time?Yes
How will I know how many people are bidding for the same property as me?If you have internet access, you can view the number of bids currently being made on a property you have bid for. This information will also be available from the offices of any of the partners in the scheme.
How will you decide who is offered the property?The property will go to a Priority Card applicant. If no Priority Status applicants apply, it will go to a Gold applicant, if no Gold applicants apply to a Silver applicant and if no Silver applicants apply to a Bronze applicant. If more than one person from the same band applies, the home will go to the person who has been on the waiting list the longest. The Housing Association or Council will carry out their own background checks and then contact the successful applicant to come and view the property. If you do not get the home you want, you can apply for others. You can apply for as many homes each week as you wish until you are successful.
If I bid earlier will I have more chance of getting the property?No - when you place a bid during the bidding cycle does not affect your priority. If you placed a bid on the first day of a cycle you would gain no more priority than if you placed it on the last day of the same cycle.
How will I know if my bid has been successful?If your bid has been successful you will be contacted to confirm the details of your application and arrange viewing so an offer can be made. If you are not contacted within 7 working days of the closing date you can assume that your bid has not been successful. Once the letting process has been completed, we will provide information on the number of bids, type of household the property has been let to and their banding. We will not give personal details of applicants. You can also click here to see a newsletter giving the latest information about vacancies and who they were offered to. Although we won't give out applicants' names, we show how many people have shown an interest in each property and how long the successful applicant was on our list. In this way you can see which types of properties are in high demand and also those which you might have a greater chance of being offered.
Can I use Shropshire HomePoint if I'm waiting to be rehoused as homeless?Homeless applicants who the Council has a duty to rehouse can use the Scheme. If you are homeless and in the Priority Band, you will have 8 weeks in which to successfully bid for a property. If you don't manage to secure a home in this time, your circumstances will be reviewed and a decision taken on how to manage future bids to increase your chances of securing a home. If you fail to bid for suitable properties or repeatedly bid for unsuitable properties you may lose your right to rehousing.
What if things change?You must tell us at once if anything you have put down on your form changes, perhaps because you have had a baby, your health changes, or you have moved address. IMPORTANT - Depending on your circumstances your banding can go up or down.
Are there any restrictions on new housing developments?Some new housing developments, especially in rural areas, will have special eligibility criteria, to ensure local people have access to housing which is being provided to meet local housing needs. This will be made clear on the property advert. On these developments you will have to complete an additional form to confirm your local connection before a formal offer can be made.
Are there other types of restrictions on who may be allocated a property?The new Affordable Housing Allocation Policy allows the Council and partner housing associations to set specific criteria for properties in certain areas or in certain circumstances. Local lettings schemes are explained in detail in the Shropshire Affordable Housing Allocation Policy and Scheme documents.
I've noticed a property close to me has recently become empty - can I apply for it?If this is an 'empty' property owned by one of the Shropshire HomePoint partners it may well be put the CBL system and advertised in the normal way. Sometimes properties can look empty when they are actually awaiting repairs or redecoration, which is why we encourage all applicants to check the HomePoint adverts. You can only bid for a property when it appears in the property list.
What do I do if I want to apply for housing in Shropshire from a housing association which is not part of Shropshire HomePoint?You should apply directly to Shropshire HomePoint and contact the housing association of your choice if it is not a member of Shropshire HomePoint to see if they hold a list of their own.
What can I do if I'm not happy with the way my application has been handled?You may appeal against your banding, details of how to do this are given in a separate leaflet. If you are unhappy about the service you have received, you may make a complaint through our complaints procedure. For more information about this, please contact us.
Shropshire HomePoint Tel: 01588 676246 Bid-line: 01588 676282 Website: www.shropshirehomepoint.co.uk Email: homepoint@ss-ha.org.uk |