With the Home4U choice based lettings scheme, instead of us allocating you a home, you will look for your own home in the Home4U magazine.
There are five steps for you to follow in choosing your new home:
Step 1 - Membership
You are automatically a member of Home4U if Stevenage Homes accepts you onto the Housing Needs Register, which it manages on behalf of Stevenage Borough Council.
If you need information about whether you are eligible to go on the Register please contact Stevenage Homes.
Step 2 - Registration
Once your completed application has been assessed and you have been included on the Register, we will write to you and tell you your registration date, which band you are in and how many points you have.
We will also tell you the size of property you are eligible for, and your unique Home4U number. You will also be sent a copy of the user guide and a batch of postal bidding coupons.
If there are any changes to your household, accommodation or personal circumstances you must contact Housing Needs at Stevenage Homes and let us know.
You may have to complete another form and provide us with evidence. It is very important that we know as it may change your band, points level, or the type of home you can move into.
Step 3 - Bidding
Available properties are advertised:
- In a free fortnightly magazine called ‘Home4U’, which is available every other Friday.
- On the website at www.home4u.org.uk from every other Thursday to the following Wednesday at 2.00pm
Your bids must reach Home4U by 2.00pm on the Wednesday
The adverts give you information about each property available for letting and we will include a photograph and floor plan if available.
You can pick up a free copy of the magazine from several places across town including the Customer Service Centre and Community Centres (full list, including opening times, see page 9).
You can bid for up to 3 properties in each magazine.
You can bid in 4 ways:
1) On the internet – go to www.home4u.org.uk and log on with your unique Home4U number and your date of birth – just follow the instructions on-screen.
2) By telephone – Call 09062 942 030 and follow the instructions. See page 12 about bidding by telephone. Calls cost 25p/minute.
3) By text message – Send your message to 07781 472726. See page 13 about bidding by text.
4) By coupon – When you are first registered we will send blank coupons with your registration pack. Your coupons have your name and Home4U number printed on it. This number is unique to you so no one else can use your coupons.
See page 13 of the scheme user guide about how to complete your coupon.
To request more coupons you can tick the relevant box on the coupon before posting it, visit the Home4U website or contact the Customer Service Centre.
Step 4 - The Offer
At the end of the bid period, all bids for each property are put in priority order. Bidders are prioritised according to their band and points total. If two people in the same band have the same number of points, the person who has been registered the longest is put first.
Housing Needs carries out all the necessary eligibility checks and a shortlist of eligible applicants for each property is then produced. The top three bidders from each shortlist will be invited to view the property, usually during the week following the close of bids. Following this, it will be offered to the person with the highest points.
If the person who was top of the shortlist refuses the property, it is then offered to the next person on the list, and so on. You do not get penalised for withdrawing your bid for a property at the viewing stage, but if you are offered the property and then refuse it, it will count as a refusal of a reasonable offer. If you refuse two reasonable offers, your application may be deferred for 12 months.
If you are offered a property you will not be considered for other homes until you have made a decision on the first offer. If you appear at the top of more than one shortlist at the same time you will need to decide which property you prefer.
Step 5 - Feedback
It is not possible to notify you individually when your bids have been unsuccessful but you can get this information from the website (see ‘bidding history’ after you have logged in), or contact the Customer Service Centre.
All properties that have been advertised will be listed on the Feedback page of the magazine once they have been let. This tells you how many people bid for each property as well as the band and points level of the successful bidder.