Within each week there is a 6 day period when you can place bids for the advertised properties that you are interested in - this is called the ‘bidding cycle’. Each bidding cycle opens on a Friday at 9am and closes the following Thursday at 9am. This gives you a limited amount of time to think about the properties you would like to bid for, to have a look around the area in which the properties are located if you are not familiar with them, consult with family and others including support workers, make arrangements for any help you might need with bidding and make your bid.

The bidding systems are automated and bidding needs to close at midday on the Monday week to allow time for other parts of the letting process to be completed.

If you need help with bidding ask a friend, family member or support worker to help, they can bid on your behalf via the internet if they have your unique application number and your date of birth. The Housing Options Team at the Council will be pleased to help you bid or bid on your behalf with your permission. This help can be available for as long as you need it. If in future you need help with bidding, contact the Housing Options Team.

If you bid for a property you must ensure that you are contactable preferably by phone but otherwise by letter in case your bid is successful. If your contact details change please let the Council know as soon as possible so your application details can be updated.

Things to consider before bidding

When choosing a property you are interested in, you need to consider a number of things:

What can I bid for?
Your welcome letter will tell you what types and sizes of property you can bid for (are eligible for) based on the size and needs of your household. If you bid for a property you are not eligible for your bid will not be registered.

Before you bid for a property please check the advert carefully checking all of the symbols and other information in the advert to make sure that it is a property you can bid for and that the property will meet the needs of your household.

Is the property available to both Tenant Applicants and Homeseeekers or just Tenant Applicants?
Most properties will be available for both Homeseekers and Tenant Applicants but some will be advertised as available to Tenant Applicants only. Your bid will not count if the property is advertised for a Tenant Applicant only and you are a Homeseeker.

How many properties can I bid for in each bidding cycle?
You can bid for as many properties as you want in each bidding cycle, but you can only bid for properties that you are eligible for. For example, if you are eligible for a 2 bedroom property you cannot bid for one with 3 bedrooms.

Is there an age restriction?
Some properties may have a minimum age requirement; any age restrictions will be clearly stated in the advert.

Who can bid for sheltered housing?
Sheltered housing will be offered to applicants who will benefit from the level of support offered in this type of accommodation. Sheltered housing is usually only available for people aged 60 or over.

Some properties have a mobility sign
This is intended to provide a guide to people who have a mobility need to help them identify which properties will be suitable for them. This does not restrict anyone else from bidding for these properties, but preference may be given to applicants who need this level of mobility or the adaptations provided.

Some properties have a Local Connection sign
Some properties will be advertised with the Local Connection sign. Only schemes which have been provided to meet local housing need (called Exception Housing Schemes) will be advertised with the Local Connection sign. For all properties on these schemes applicants who have a local connection to the parish in which the scheme is located or the immediately adjoining civil parishes will be prioritised for the properties. A local connection is living in, working in, having a family member who lives in, previously living in or having a family member who previously lived in the parish. After the bidding deadline has closed the shortlist will place all bidders in order of their local connection with those bidders with the strongest local connection being placed at the top of the shortlist irrespective of which band they are in. This does not apply to applicants in Band 5 as they will only be considered after all other applicants. You can still bid for a property which is subject to the Local Connection sign if you do not have a local connection but you will be placed below those that have a local connection on the shortlist. The advert will clearly show which parishes you need to have a connection to in order to qualify as having a local connection.

For new Exception Housing Schemes only one advert will be placed for all the properties that are available. If you are interested in any of the properties you only need to bid once and can be considered for all the properties.

Pets
The property advert will say if pets are allowed.

Shared Ownership Properties
All households will be able to bid for any size or type of shared ownership property advertised, although when the property is shortlisted any bidder who cannot afford to purchase the share being sold will not be considered for the property. For more information on short listing shared ownership properties see Step 5.

Private Rented Properties
All households will be able to bid for any size or type of private rented property advertised. If the landlord has any criteria for which types of household they will consider for the property, this will be included in the property. For information on how private rented properties will be shortlisted please see Step 5.

Check out the location of the property

Look for the location of the property on a map or visit the local area to make sure it really is a place you would want to move to. North Norfolk is a very rural area so think about the services you might need access to including:
• schools
• shops
• public transport
• child care facilities
• employment opportunities
• leisure opportunities
• GP/Dentist
• Bank/Post Office

If you are unsure as to what services an area has contact the Housing Options Team of the Council. This information is aslo available on the UpMyStreet website by clicking on the link from the advert on the Your Choice Your Home website.

There are 5 ways to bid for properties please see the bidding section.