Pennine Housing 2000
Sunday, 05-Feb-2012
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Home>How to Use the Service>Step 3 - Offer
All bids received will be put in priority order to produce a list of eligible applicants for each property advertised. The landlord of the property will carry out any outstanding eligibility checks, (e.g. rent checks, anti-social behaviour and household circumstance checks).
At the close of the bidding cycle there will be a 'Unique Queue' of members for each property advertised. This will be ordered by either priority band and membership date or by membership date only, depending on the basis on which the property is being let.
If your name is at the top of the queue you will normally be invited to view the property unless there are reasons why we are unable to do this, for example you do not fulfil the lettings criteria, you have rent arrears or Pennine Housing 2000/Other RSL is taking legal action against you for breaching a tenancy condition.
If we are unable to offer the property to the member at the top of the list we will move to the next member and so on. The participating landlord may carry out home visits before inviting you to view and may also require members to provide additional information to establish that their own lettings policy is satisfied.
Circumstances that will Result in No Offer Being Made [Top]
These are:
If you are successful in your bid and are shortlisted for a property we will contact you within a few days of the bidding cycle ending. If we do not contact you within a couple of days of the bidding cycle ending, please assume that you have not been successful in this instance and continue bidding in further advertising cycles.
You will not be able to bid for other properties until you have decided to either accept or refuse the offer. Once an offer of a property has been accepted, your scheme membership will be cancelled once you have moved into your new home; and it will be necessary to re-apply, should you wish to move again in the future.
When accepting the property you will be advised when your move in date is likely to be; and an appointment will be made for you to come into the local housing office to sign a tenancy agreement and collect your keys.
Refusal of an Offer by a 'Homeless' Member (GOLD BAND) [Top]
Most members will be able to refuse and offer of a tenancy without affecting their priority band status. Refusal of an offer by members in the groups described below may however result in their priority band being reviewed.
If Calderdale Council has accepted a statutory duty under the Homeless Legislation to rehouse you, you will be expected to bid for all properties that you are eligible for. Any member who has been accepted as statutorily homeless will be given GOLD BAND priority status and because of this the process is a little different:
If you are awarded Gold Band priority because you are a 16/17 year old care leaver, you will lose your priority if you refuse an offer of accommodation for which you or your advocate has bid for and which is considered by the Housing Advice Centre, following discussion with the NCH Leaving Care Team to be appropriate.
If you have been awarded Gold Band priority on medical/welfare grounds you will lose your priority status if you refuse an offer for which you or your advocate has bid for and it is considered by Pennine Housing 2000 staff to be suitable for your needs. A property will usually be considered to be a reasonable offer for this purpose if it:
Members who are awarded Silver Band Priority for meeting the 'Homeless Prevention' criteria will have this priority for 8 weeks only. It may be necessary to go back to the Housing Advice Centre to have your case re-assessed if you have been unsuccessful in obtaining suitable accommodation within the 8 weeks.
Step 3 - Offer
- Offers
- Circumstances that will Result in No Offer Being Made
- Refusal of an Offer by a Homeless Member (GOLD BAND)
- Other Gold Band Priority Members
- Silver Band Priority Members
All bids received will be put in priority order to produce a list of eligible applicants for each property advertised. The landlord of the property will carry out any outstanding eligibility checks, (e.g. rent checks, anti-social behaviour and household circumstance checks).
At the close of the bidding cycle there will be a 'Unique Queue' of members for each property advertised. This will be ordered by either priority band and membership date or by membership date only, depending on the basis on which the property is being let.
If your name is at the top of the queue you will normally be invited to view the property unless there are reasons why we are unable to do this, for example you do not fulfil the lettings criteria, you have rent arrears or Pennine Housing 2000/Other RSL is taking legal action against you for breaching a tenancy condition.
If we are unable to offer the property to the member at the top of the list we will move to the next member and so on. The participating landlord may carry out home visits before inviting you to view and may also require members to provide additional information to establish that their own lettings policy is satisfied.
Circumstances that will Result in No Offer Being Made [Top]
These are:
- If since joining the scheme a member has become ineligible for membership;
- On verification of the membership details, the priority band was found to have been incorrectly awarded;
- The members current circumstances are such that suspension of membership is appropriate, or that the member should be restricted from bidding in the neighbourhood in which the property is located;
- The members circumstances have changed since the priority band was awarded and the member is no longer entitled to the same level of priority;
- The property is subject to a local connection criteria and the member does not meet the criteria;
- The members circumstances do not satisfy the advertised lettings criteria for the property;
- The members circumstances do not accord with the local lettings policy in operation;
- The member has been assessed as needing support to sustain a tenancy and such support is not in place or cannot be arranged before the proposed tenancy commencement date;
- The neighbourhood or scheme in which the relevant property is located has currently a need to maintan a community balance and that the circumstances and/or behaviour of the member in the view of the landlord of the property, is unlikely to contribute to the required balance;
- The level of support needed to sustain the tenancy at the relevant property would seriously undermine the support providers ability to support other residents in the same neighbourhood or scheme;
- The member has been qualified for an offer of more than one property and has been deemed more suitable for the other property;
- The member could not be contacted by the landlord of the property.
If you are successful in your bid and are shortlisted for a property we will contact you within a few days of the bidding cycle ending. If we do not contact you within a couple of days of the bidding cycle ending, please assume that you have not been successful in this instance and continue bidding in further advertising cycles.
You will not be able to bid for other properties until you have decided to either accept or refuse the offer. Once an offer of a property has been accepted, your scheme membership will be cancelled once you have moved into your new home; and it will be necessary to re-apply, should you wish to move again in the future.
When accepting the property you will be advised when your move in date is likely to be; and an appointment will be made for you to come into the local housing office to sign a tenancy agreement and collect your keys.
Refusal of an Offer by a 'Homeless' Member (GOLD BAND) [Top]
Most members will be able to refuse and offer of a tenancy without affecting their priority band status. Refusal of an offer by members in the groups described below may however result in their priority band being reviewed.
If Calderdale Council has accepted a statutory duty under the Homeless Legislation to rehouse you, you will be expected to bid for all properties that you are eligible for. Any member who has been accepted as statutorily homeless will be given GOLD BAND priority status and because of this the process is a little different:
- Your priority banding will be time limited to 3 months - it will then be reviewed;
- If you have been awarded the GOLD BAND priority because of homelessness you will lose this priority status if you refuse a qualifying offer of suitable accommodation, whether made within the KeyChoice scheme or directly by a landlord;
- You will have been expected to have made a bid within the first 2 weeks of receiving your Gold Banding. If you are statutorily homeless, and as a member you have not made any bids within 8 weeks of receiving your Gold priority, staff from the Housing Advice Centre will then start making bids on your behalf, for any suitable properties which are advertised.
- If a suitable property is refused, the homeless duty will be discharged and the member will cease to have the GOLD Band priority status;
- The decision as to whether an offer of accommodation is a suitable offer will be made within the provisions of the Refusal Policy for Homeless Applicants.
If you are awarded Gold Band priority because you are a 16/17 year old care leaver, you will lose your priority if you refuse an offer of accommodation for which you or your advocate has bid for and which is considered by the Housing Advice Centre, following discussion with the NCH Leaving Care Team to be appropriate.
If you have been awarded Gold Band priority on medical/welfare grounds you will lose your priority status if you refuse an offer for which you or your advocate has bid for and it is considered by Pennine Housing 2000 staff to be suitable for your needs. A property will usually be considered to be a reasonable offer for this purpose if it:
- Is of sufficient size to accommodate the members household;
- The physical access to the property and the internal layout and facilities are appropriate;
- The property was accurately described in the property advert.
Members who are awarded Silver Band Priority for meeting the 'Homeless Prevention' criteria will have this priority for 8 weeks only. It may be necessary to go back to the Housing Advice Centre to have your case re-assessed if you have been unsuccessful in obtaining suitable accommodation within the 8 weeks.