Applying for a housing association property

Social housing in Basingstoke and Deane is provided by over 25 different housing associations.

To be considered for renting a housing association property you must first apply to join the ‘housing register’ which is managed by the council.

Our housing team assess the eligibility of applicants in line with our housing ‘allocations scheme’. Not everyone will meet the requirements to join the housing register.

The allocations scheme sets out who can apply and how we categorise the applicant’s housing needs into a banding system. The detail of the allocations scheme is provided in the documents section below.

If you are successful in meeting the requirements for the housing register we recommend you still explore other housing options, such as privately renting, as there is a shortage of social housing.

Apply to join the housing register

Who can apply

To be eligible to join the housing register in Basingstoke and Deane you must:

• be over 16 years old
• be eligible under immigration law
• have a local connection to the borough by meeting one of the criteria listed below:
• be a resident and continuously lived in the borough for a period of two years immediately before the date of your application
• be permanently employed in the borough and work for at least 16 hours per week for two years immediately before the date of your application
• have an urgent and critical need to move on medical grounds.
• have a household income under £50,000 per annum (If you are a family with permanently resident children, have an income of between £50,000 and £60,000 per annum (prior to any deductions, inclusive of benefits but excluding Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independent Payments), and would like to make an application to see whether you qualify to join the Housing Register, please contact the Housing Register Team on 01256 844844 or via email at housing@basingstoke.gov.uk for assistance in making the application.)
• have savings/assets less than £30,000 and
• are in housing need

Local connection exceptions are made for some applicants who:

• have a need to move to offer or receive care or support
• are fleeing domestic abuse
• are certain members of the armed forces and their families
• are care leavers
• are homeless applicants accepted by the council and placed outside of the borough by us

How to apply

Our ‘Homebid’ website is where you apply to join the housing register. Once on the Homebid website, click on the ‘Register’ link on the right-hand side to start your application.

Applications usually take 20 minutes to complete. You need:

• your National Insurance number
• details of the people who you want to live with you
• five years of address history
• details of your landlord or who you are living with

If your application is successful, we ask you to provide:

• identification - driving licence or passport
• information about your settled or pre-settled status (if applicable)
• supporting information relevant to your circumstances, for example, medical information

Homebid is also the website where you will be able to search online and bid for a housing association property.

Apply to join the housing register

How we assess your housing needs

The law says reasonable preference should be given to certain groups of people. To be in housing need you must be:

• of no fixed abode/no legal right to occupy
• homeless within 56 days
• accepted Homeless
• overcrowded
• sharing facilities with another household
• an Armed Forces Personnel not in urgent housing need and who is eligible to join the housing register
• needing to move on welfare/social grounds
• needing to move on medical/disability grounds
• needing to move on mental health/disability grounds
• living in unsuitable accommodation which includes financial hardship, tied accommodation and housing association tenants who are under-occupying

If your application is successful

You will receive a letter by email or post telling you which band you are in, the date of your application and the size and type of property you can bid for. The letter details your unique reference number and memorable date password which you use to login to Homebid.

The bands are as follows:

• Band 1 applicants with a reasonable preference and an urgent need to move as detailed in our allocations scheme
• Band 2 applicants with a reasonable preference
• Band 3 applicants with a reasonable preference who have reduced priority.

You do not move up bands automatically. Your position within your band may improve as other applicants above you are re-housed. You may move bands if your circumstances change.

Demotion

If you have a history of unacceptable behaviour, your application will be demoted to Band 3 for 12 months or until the issues are resolved. Unacceptable behaviour includes:

• having current or former housing related debts including rent arrears
• physical or verbal abuse to staff
• anti-social behaviour in the community
• being a perpetrator of domestic abuse
• not being truthful when applying for social housing
• deliberately worsening your housing circumstances to receive greater priority for rehousing on the housing register
• refusal of three reasonable offers of suitable accommodation

If your banding changes you can appeal in writing, over the telephone or verbally to a member of the housing register team. You must appeal within 21 days of receiving your decision.

How to search online and bid for a property

You can view all available properties over a weekly period online on our Homebid website. You can bid and see where you are in the shortlist for the property. If unsuccessful for a property, you will see which band the successful applicant was in and how long they had been in that band. We allocate properties to applicants on the shortlist based on their banding and length of time they have been on the housing register.

More detail on how to bid for a housing association property

How long it takes to be re-housed

It is not possible to give a timeframe. You can look at recent lets on Homebid to get an estimate of waiting times. This will show you the bands and application dates of applicants who have recently been offered a property. You can increase your chances of being re-housed more quickly by broadening your areas and property types.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are not eligible to join the housing register a full explanation will be provided either by email or post.

You have the right to request a review of any aspect of your housing application assessment by contacting the housing team online, by telephone or in person within 21 days of receiving your decision.

If you need advice about your housing situation we provide a comprehensive housing options service.

If your circumstances change

You need to amend your application online on Homebid. We may ask you to supply supporting documentation to verify your change of circumstances.

Renewing your application each year

We will contact you every 12 months by web message in Homebid for you to confirm your circumstances are correct. If you do not renew your application, we may close your application.