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
To be eligible to join the housing register in Basingstoke and Deane you must:
Local connection exceptions are made for some applicants who:
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:
If your application is successful, we ask you to provide:
Homebid is also the website where you will be able to search online and bid for a housing association property.
The law says reasonable preference should be given to certain groups of people. To be in housing need you must be:
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:
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:
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.
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
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 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.
You need to amend your application online on Homebid. We may ask you to supply supporting documentation to verify your change of circumstances.
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.
Housing Allocations Policy April 2025(PDF) [358 kb]
Regeneration Addendum(PDF) [349 kb]
Annual Monitoring Review of the Council's Allocations Scheme 2023 to 2024(PDF) [2 Mb]
If you need some advice about the housing register email the Housing Register team or contact us through our enquiry form.
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