Anyone have experiences of being nominated for council housing?

[nervynellyy]

I've been on the council list for 3 years now, and recently came 5th on a property. The day before bidding closed I was emailed to ask for my payslips and bank statements, and then the day the bidding closed I was emailed and told I was being nominated to the housing association and was positioned first. I wasn't expecting the email. I've never come in even the top 10 before let alone been nominated. I'm trying not to get my hopes up but the uncertainty and waiting is so hard.

Has anyone on here been nominated to the council for a property and, if so, what was your experience like? How long did it take for the housing association to contact you and what were the next steps? I'm so nervous it will all fall through or have been a mistake or something!

The properties go onto the bidding site ASAP. Many of them aren't actually ready to be rented, so by the time it is, many people have already been housed elsewhere. So just being given it doesn't mean you'll actually end up with it. Keep bidding until you've actually signed the tenancy and collected the keys (which is usually same day) even if you're told you've got it. Sounds like you're the bidder with the best matching criteria. Have you seen the property yet? They often show the top 3 bidders a viewing, so you might not be in first place. If they ask you if you want to accept or not, you can only refuse a couple times before they strip away any special privileges they gave you for your circumstances and then you're in the lowest banding with the least points, you could still bid but basically you've a lot less chance of getting anything in that situation. They do it because if you're refusing properties you can't want one that badly and they don't want to waste time on you. Their mindset is you bidded on it so don't mess them around later. You can't delay signing the tenancy, if it gets to that point, just because you've to give notice on your current one or because you're locked into a 6 month tenancy etc, once it's ready to be let out you sign the tenancy and it's yours from then on. If you're on benefits you can try claiming two lots of housing costs for the overlap but won't necessarily be given it. If they tell you they want to have a "getting to know you" meeting, it's an assessment and the property can be taken off you if you "fail" it. Unofficially the councils seem to try to place reasonable people in areas with other reasonable people and troublesome types in areas with other troublesome types. The property isn't really yours until you've signed the tenancy. Don't fall for any bullshit about offers of "trying to find you somewhere more suitable", if you agree they'll treat it as you've refused the property regardless of what they've said about it definitely being yours. Basically don't trust them, mind your manners, watch what you say, expect to have to provide them with all your outgoings and incomings, it's not a done deal until the keys are in your hand. Fingers crossed you get it OP. If they don't give you this one but they like you and your circumstances, they might offer you a direct let, this is where they find one for you without you bidding on it, it never makes it to the bidding list. Each week they hold back a few of these.

In terms of my own experience I was allocated one but couldn't move in until a neighbour dispute was resolved, 6 weeks later they decided they wouldn't be able to resolve it so took the property off me and offered me a different one which I accepted. It needed repairing, which kept getting cancelled, so I eventually signed the tenancy and moved in 4 ½ months later.

Thank you - this is really helpful! I can be flexible with move in dates thankfully! I haven't seen the property yet as I'm still waiting to hear from the housing association. Hopefully I'll hear back this week 🙏

on what positions have you been maybe I can have some hope as I’ve been bidding for nearly 5 years?

Really, it's like 'how long is a piece of string?' Depends on if you bid on something in a hard to let area, or if it's a popular area, and how many other people are bidding. Also depends on how many people are on the list in your town/area.

My friend recently got a nice bungalow in a very rural area that is very pretty. She has been on the list for 3 years, and has been bidding fiercely for about 6 months as her landlady wants to sell. She is being kind enough to not put the house on the market until my friend gets a property though.

She has been in the top 6 or 7 people bidding for the last 15 times she has bid, and was in the top 12 for about 15 times before. For the last 6 weeks before she was No 1 and got offered her bungalow she was in the top 3.

The week she bid there was only 3 bidders according to the housing association, because it's a tiny hamlet with nothing there except 25 other properties. (No shops or public transport or amenities.) Though there is a village with a Church, a parish hall with events on throughout the year, and a pub, just 20 minutes walk away.

She said it's fine that there's no public transport as many places she (and her DH) have to get to, they need a car for anyway. (Work, family, and the like...) Everything they need (shops, buses and trains, GP, dentists, etc etc,) are 3 miles away in a small market town.

No-one can answer how long you will wait @nervynellyy but if you are coming 5th now, I doubt you will wait much longer.

These days it can take a lot lot longer than that to get one. Depends if you're being picky too. If you're holding out for a particular area of town or not bidding much, it'll obviously take longer.

Use your bids wisely to bid on the most suitable properties and you've more chance if getting it. Each property says what banding it's for, it'll only be offered to people not in that banding if nobody in that banding bids. Same with bedrooms. If you know you're a single or a couple and so only entitled to a one bedroom, you'll only be given a two bedroom property if nobody with kids bids on it. People don't bother bidding around Christmas time, so if you do you're chances of getting something increases by default. In my area you've got 4 bids per week, use them. They can see what you're bidding on or if you're not bidding at all. If you don't look that bothered, they're not going to give you any extra help. In the same vein, if you're in temporary accommodation the housing officer comes round every week, try to be in, get to know them and let them see who you are and how you live. They are in communication with other officials.

Bid position doesn't mean all that much. One property near me went to number 30 bidder because by the time it was actually ready numbers 1-29 were living happily elsewhere. Don't give up, one of the deciding factors is how long you've been on the bidding list. So if everything else is equal between you and another top place bidder, but they've only been on the list 2yrs, then you're the one who'd be offered it first.

Thanks everyone! It's really helpful.

I think my post was a little confusing, sorry! I finished 5th in the bidding but after the bidding closed the council emailed to say I was being nominated to the housing association and was nominated in 1st place. Maybe those that came 1-4 in the bidding weren't eligible for some reason?

Thanks for explaining and all the best 💐

Whatever the reason, I hope you get your home @nervynellyy with a lifelong tenancy, and affordable rent! 😘

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The bidding system allocates the places based on the banding first and the points within that banding second and the time on the list third. So the placement is computer generated and your placement moves up or down throughout the week depending on who else bids on that property.

Then at close of bidding, the humans look at it. They'll skip over some people for various reasons. Like if someone who uses a wheelchair has bid on a 3rd floor flat without a lift system installed, the humans will discount them even if they were in 1st place based on banding and points and time waiting. It depends on the finer details of what their housing assessment said they need, the council can't (well, they shouldn't, anyway) allocate outside that criteria. It sounds like that's what's happened. Either that or by the time bidding completed they'd signed a tenancy for another property.

If you were to fail the checks and assessments or if you refused the property after viewing, the people in 2nd place would be offered the property instead of you and if they failed or refused or didn't need it any more, the third place people would be offered. And it would keep going until someone suitable accepts. Like I said, one near me went to the bidder in 30th place, in the end.

I suspect it varies by property and the condition of it, how soon after bidding ends someone is actually allocated it and then once allocated you may have a wait to move in. Keep bidding each week, you haven't had a viewing yet, much less signed the tenancy. If you end up with this one you can turn down any others you subsequently get offered. But don't just wait, not bidding, assuming this one is a done deal. Because you might be dragging out the wait unnecessarily until you get housed somewhere if you do.