FAQs about what happens after your housing application is registered

The guidance and FAQs here will answer queries about what happens after your application is registered.

My housing application is live, what now?

You need to start bidding for properties. To do this either sign up or log in to your Housing Online account and click on the Choice Based Lettings tile.

You will not have a chance of being offered a home unless you bid for them, so it’s important that you are doing this regularly. You can apply for up to 3 properties each week that you are eligible for. You should try to bid every week and use all your bids if possible, to maximise your chances of being rehoused. We will only contact you if you are offered a home.

You will have been told in your letter what band your application has been placed in, and what size of property you can bid for.

What are bands?

Applicants are placed in one of 3 bands based on their current housing circumstances. Band 1 is the highest priority and Band 3 is the lowest.

Your banding is assessed based on your current housing circumstances, in line with our housing allocations policy. The type and size of property you are eligible to bid for is also determined by the policy. This policy ensures that people with the highest housing need are given priority for housing, and that people are only housed into properties which are suitable for their needs.

When we are allocating a property, if multiple people bid for the same property, then it would be offered to the person in the highest band. If multiple people are in the same band, then it would be offered to the person who has been in that band the longest time.

What should I do if my circumstances change?

If your circumstances change at any time, for example if you move address or have a new child, or you want to cancel your application with us, then you will need to contact us about this, you can do this online via our housing application enquiry form linked at the top of this page. It is important you keep us up to date, especially if you move.

If your application banding changes at any time due to a change in your circumstances, we will let you know in writing.

If you become homeless or a threatened with homelessness due to being served with a notice or being asked to leave, then you should contact us about this on 0116 454 1008 (option 3).

What happens if I don't bid for a long time?

If you have a live housing application then we will expect you to be actively bidding for homes. To keep our housing register and applications up-to-date, if you do not place any bids in a six month period, and there has been no contact or activity on your housing application, we will consider you are no longer in need of housing and therefore your application will be cancelled.

Exceptions: If you are waiting for adapted accommodation or a large home with four or more bedrooms, we will review your application after 12 months rather than six months as above.

How long will it take for me to be rehoused?

There is a high demand for social housing and it can take a long time to be rehoused.

The length of time you are waiting will depend on many things, like what band your application is in, the size and type of home you need, the area you are looking to move to, and how regularly you’re bidding for homes. For example, if you need a large property due to the size of your family, this may affect how long you are waiting, as there is a shortage of larger family homes. If on top of this you are in a low band, this again decreases your chance of being offered a home

The table below will give you information about average waiting times for different property sizes. For further information contact us using our enquiry form linked at the top of this page.

Who gets social housing?

The data below applies to both council and housing association homes, for general needs (non-adapted) properties.

• Total applicants on register on 1 October 2023: 6,431
• Total lettings from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2023: 1,097