Properties will be advertised every week on the Your Choice Your Home website. We will also ensure that the property adverts are widely distributed and available to view at a range of locations across the North Norfolk district area to ensure that they are accessible to applicants including:

• the offices of North Norfolk District Council in Cromer
• the offices of partner housing associations
• libraries

This website will have up to date information on where adverts are available to view, alternatively contact the Housing Options Team of the Council.

You can access the Your Choice Your Home website via any computer with internet access, if you do not have internet access at home why don’t you ask a friend or relative if you can use theirs or go along to the library or an internet café, alternatively your support worker might be able to help.

If you are vulnerable and have particular difficulty in accessing adverts the Council may send you a Personalised Property List which has details of the available properties that you are eligible to bid for. If you think you may need this help, please contact the Housing Options Team of the Council.

A Personalised Property List can also be produced and collected on request at the Council Offices in Cromer.

The adverts will give you information about each available property to enable you to decide if it is suitable to meet your needs. The adverts include

• a photograph (where available)
• symbols providing information on the property
• symbols to show which applicants are eligible
• the location of the property
• the landlord
• the rent
• other relevant information

The adverts will be colour coded so each size of property has a different colour background. Please note the photograph may not be of the property that is being advertised but of a similar looking property.

An example advert and a key to the advert symbols is provided below;

This shows that a property is being advertised for sale on a shared ownership basis, the advert will show the cost of the share being sold, the cost of the rent and any service charge. In some cases this will show the minimum share that can be sold. Any applicant interested in shared ownership must be able to afford the buy the share that is being sold through a mortgage, savings/investments or investments and mortgage/combination of savings.

This shows that a property is being advertised by a private landlord. The advert will show the name of the landlord and the rent.

Important message: The photograph in the advert may not be of the actual property available but maybe a property of a similar type in that location. You should not therefore visit the property in the hope that you can have a look around. The property may still be occupied and continue to be the home of someone who might find such a request distressing. You must not approach anyone living in a property which you think has been advertised.

The details of advertised properties can also be heard on a recorded message that can be accessed by ringing 01263 516342. You will be asked to press a number to identify the size or type of property you want to hear details about e.g. press 1 for bedsit accommodation, press 2 for sheltered accommodation, press 3 for 1 bed accommodation etc. On selecting the number you want you will be advised of the number of the current bid round, the date the bid round opened and the date the bid round closes. You will then be given details of the advertised properties including the reference number (you will need this to place a bid), any restrictions on who can bid i.e. if it is for tenant applicants only and the location of the property. Once the details of all of the advertised properties of that type have been given the message will end. You will need to ring again if you want to hear the details of more than one type of property. Please note that for some types of property there will be no properties advertised in that particular bidding cycle.

Please note that you cannot place a bid on this number and will have to place a bid either through the website or by telephone or text.

From August 2011 some housing associations will be renting some properties at the new Affordable Rent, this rent is higher than current housing association rents, but will not exceed 80% of local market rents for the type and size of property in any particular location. As some existing housing association tenants will be able to transfer to another housing association property, some properties will not show a rent, in this case the rent will be shown as “tba” (to be advised). If you are the successful bidder for a property which was advertised with the rent shown as tba, please ask the housing association what the rent will be before you make a decision on whether to accept the property. Please note that affordable rents will be covered by housing benefit in the same way as social rents and will not be restricted to the Local Housing Allowance as with privately rented properties.