Council housing, please help!!

[Mamstheworld]

The house we're in now and have been in for the last 6 years is now unsuitable. We joined up on the housing website early September and had an OT come around couple weeks ago and we've been placed on high priority.

We bid for the first time on the 27th and it closed on the 29th. Now it says our position is "Not in first 20" out of the 275 people that also bidded. It's four bedrooms with downstairs WC (which is what we need, as well as four bedrooms as we're also overcrowded)

I haven't done this sort of thing before. Does it mean the people ahead of us (Don't know how many...) have higher priority? Or is it just currently listing in order of when people bid until they sort out who has priority?

It does say, "Property Status: Property under offer". but it only closed yesterday so how do they put in order of who has highest priority that fast?

Sorry if I seem ignorant. We have the highest priority band for medical reasons but we also have priority for overcrowding but it only lists the highest priority of medical as we can only have one listed online.

If the list is already from highest to lowest priority, does it mean they have higher priority?

It sounds like you're not in the top twenty of bids they're considering. You should phone the housing department and ask if they can clarify it for you.

It can happen quickly because it’s all done by computer automatically. There will be lots of people who also have high priority bidding on that sort of property and some of them will have been bidding for a lot longer than you. That’s why you’re not in the top twenty. I’d give them a call and ask for a realistic idea of how likely you are to start getting in the top twenty soon.

in most local authorities, the property will be offered to the bidder with the highest priority who has been on the list longest. So, someone with identical circumstances to your family who had been on the list since August, would be offered the property ahead of you because they have been waiting a few weeks longer.

If your priority relates to health/disability (as you mention the OT, it sounds like it does) you may be assessed in a different way if those needs are particularly urgent. I'd give your housing office a ring and ask them to confirm for you. Because housing lists are so long, even people with quite urgent needs can end up waiting a very long time for a suitable property to become available.

Good luck.

Now that I have recovered from the news of a list 275 people long, (I can't even imagine that much pressure on housing from up here in the NE) as already has been mentioned the lists go on datal order too.

Have you read the allocations policy and what each banding means? Has your band actually been changed? Are you in the highest band or is there a higher band?

I am guessing though that 4 beds are like gold dust so a lot of people will have been waiting a very long time.

Not all the 275 will be eligible for that size/location of house. There may be others with higher or longer standing needs ahead of you.