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Medway HomeChoice was designed to make social housing more accessible. In the past the council decided where and when you would be offered a home, now you have a choice in deciding where you would like to live. Once registered with Medway HomeChoice you will be able to bid for Medway Council and Housing Association properties we advertise in the Medway area.

How Medway Home Choice works

This is a simple guide to how Medway HomeChoice works. You can get more detailed information about the scheme from any of the contacts listed.

Joining Medway HomeChoice

If you are on the register on our Housing Register in Medway, you can participate in HomeChoice. You can apply to participate in Medway HomeChoice by completing a simple application form.

Priority will be given to people who have a local connection with the Medway area, generally through having lived in the area recently, through employment or through family connections.

Level of Housing Need

When you are registered onto Medway HomeChoice you will be sent a reference number and informed of your level of housing need, and placed in one of four priority Bands. People in Band A will be those with the highest housing need and those in Band D the lowest level of need. People in Band D are very unlikely to have a local connection with Medway and will only be offered accommodation if no expressions of interest are received from people in Bands A-C.

Your priority for housing within your Band will depend on your level of housing need and the date you joined that priority band.

Looking for a home

Once you join Medway HomeChoice it is up to you to look for a home, the Council or housing association won't look for a home for you.

Available homes will be advertised every week using:

• The local free newspapers
• The Medway HomeChoice internet site. If you do not have internet access at home access is available at a large number of public buildings. A full list of places you can access the internet is included in the information packs provided to everyone joining Medway HomeChoice
• In Medway Council and local housing association offices
• Direct mail to you or an advocate if you have difficulty using these methods or you need someone to help you with your bidding.

Each advert will clearly state whether a home is available to people on Medway Council transfer applicants who are from a council home, to new applicants for housing, or to both. Some properties may also be reserved for certain other types of applicant, depending on the landlord's policies. Any restrictions will be made clear. This should help you decide whether you want to bid for the property or not and if you are eligible for that property.

Making a 'bid' for a home

You can express your interest in a property in a number of ways, including by telephone, the internet, by post or using touch screen information points located at Municipal Buildings, Gillingham, Civic Centre, Strood, and Local Office Chatham.

We're calling these expressions of interest 'bids'.

Rules about bidding:

• You can only make one bid per property
• You can bid for as many properties as you choose each week, which you are eligible for
• If the property advertised does not meet your particular housing needs for example the property size, you will not be eligible for the property and not considered for it
• It is unlikely your bid will be successful if you have outstanding rent arrears
• It is unlikely your bid will be successful if you have displayed anti-social behaviour
• You must make your bid for the home before the advertised closing date. Remember if you bid by post then you must make sure we receive it in plenty of time before the closing date for the property.

There are some additional rules about bidding for elderly and sheltered accommodation, and for homes adapted for disabled people.

After the closing date for the property, the landlord of each property will receive a list of all of people who have bid for their property. If your name is at the top of the priority list, you will normally be invited to view the property. If you refuse this property, the next person on the ‘short list’ will be invited to view the property.
Many landlords invite more than one member to view their properties at the same time, although the property is offered first to the member with the highest priority who attends the viewing.

If you are at the top of more than one list, the landlord will decide which property to offer you and the other properties will be offered elsewhere.
Any offer is subject to your application being verified, so we will check all of the information you have given us on your application to make sure that your situation is still the same at the time of the offer and you still require that type of property.
If you receive an offer to view a property and do NOT intend to go you must contact the landlord.
People who have come top of a shortlist are usually contacted within 10 days of the bid closing. However, some properties are advertised before they are ready for occupation and take longer to shortlist. If a person who was top of the list refuses, the next person who was on the list may be invited to view some weeks after the closing date.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to notify you individually when your bids have been unsuccessful, if you have not been contacted regarding a property you have bid for within 10 days you should assume that you have been unsuccessful.
If you are offered you will not be short-listed for other properties until a decision is made on the shortlist, which includes whether you decide to accept or refuse the offer.
Please be aware that expressing and interest in a property then refusing it may affect your Homeless application and result in this duty being discharged, which may affect your priority band on Medway HomeChoice.
If you have questions about how the scheme applies to you or about bidding for properties, there are fully trained housing staff available to support you in your Housing Department you can contact us on 01634 334433.