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Coventry

Frequently Asked Questions

  

Homefinder registration and application process

What is Coventry Homefinder?

Coventry Homefinder is the system used in Coventry for customers to apply for Social Housing. The service is a partnership between Coventry City Council and housing associations in the city. It aims to provide improved services and more choice for customers in deciding where they want to live.   Coventry Homefinder is a free service, you will not be charged to register or use the system.

Who can use Homefinder?

Anyone who has been accepted onto the Coventry Homefinder register is able to use the service. 

Who cannot use Homefinder?

You cannot use Homefinder if you have not completed an application form and been accepted onto the Coventry Homefinder register.

Who can join the Homefinder Register?

Anyone aged 16 years or over may apply to join Homefinder. Please be aware that if you are successful in bidding for a property prior to your 18th Birthday, Housing Associations may overlook you until you reach the age of 18. 

To join homefinder you must not be subject to immigration control and you must be a customer who is suitable to be a tenant.  If you are subject to any court orders relating to your previous behaviour with a tenancy you may be considered to be unsuitable to join Coventry Homefinder.

Can we refuse to accept you onto the Housing Register?

There are also some people who will not by law be eligible to join the register. These are:

  • People from outside the United Kingdom who are subject to Immigration Control under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.
  • People from abroad who are not subject to immigration control but who are not habitually resident in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland
  • People, including members of their household, who have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour that makes them unsuitable to be a tenant.
  • If you complete an online application and you are a person from abroad and not habitually resident in the UK, it is possible you will not be eligible to register. If you have reason to believe you are eligible when completing the application form, please provide an e-mail address as this will be the only form of communication we will use.

How do I apply to join Homefinder?

You will need to complete an application form online. Complete an online application now. Please complete the application form accurately and fully; providing false information is an offence.  If you have difficulties in accessing the internet to complete an application form please contact Coventry City Council on 024 76 834024.

When you register with your household details the Coventry Homefinder System will automatically calculate how many bedrooms and how many bedspaces your household requires.  Each person in the household is eligible for 1 bedspace and each bedroom will contain no more that 2 bedspaces.

Do I need to apply to each Registered Housing Provider separately?

No you do not need to apply to each Registered Housing Provider separately.

If you are not already registered you should complete the online application. 

When can I bid for properties?

The online application process is now fully automated and once you have registered you will be able to use your account to bid on properties straight away.  The Coventry Homefinder system opens on Thursday and closes on Tuesday therefore you will not be able to bid on Wednesday.

Which documents will I need to provide?

You will only be required to provide documents to us if we have requested them as part of an assessment to establish if your household requires priority on Coventry Homefinder.  Please do not supply documents if we have not requested them as they will not be processed or added to your account.  Coventry Homefinder will inform you what documents we require and when we require them.

All documents provided must be up to date and valid.  We do accept photocopies and would ask in all cases that originals are not provided.

If you do not provide us with the documents required your household will not be assessed for any priority. Once the documents are received your application will be assessed and placed in the appropriate band.

If you have bid on a property and are offered the property you will also be asked to provide additional documents to the Housing provider.

What do I do if I have lost my registration number?

If you have lost your registration number please call 024 76 834024.  You will need to provide your name; date of birth; address; and National Insurance number and an email address in order that the number can be provided to you.  Please be advised that it can take up to 5 days for this to be provided to you, it is therefore very important that you keep this number safe to avoid delays in using the system.

How do I know if I have been accepted onto the Coventry Homefinder Register?

Once you have registered on Coventry Homefinder online you will be accepted straight away, you will receive a message at the point of registration advising you of your registration number. 

I have 'access' to my children, what must I provide to have my circumstances assessed?

You must provide a letter from the 'main carer' for your children, or court related documents stating the arrangements, to Coventry Homefinder in order that we can assess the requirements of your household.

I am pregnant, what do i need to provide to Coventry Homefinder?

You will need to provide a copy of the maternity notes stating the due date.  This does not entitle you to priority, however we will assess your requirements and update the bedroom space entitlement.

What are priority bands?

If you feel that you have a priority as part of your household your application will be assessed according to your level of housing need and placed in one of 7 bands. We will also take into account whether you have a local connection with Coventry and the extent of this. Within each band applications are placed in date order. For details of the priority bands click here

How long will I stay in the same band?

If you are accepted as Statutory Homeless you will be placed in band 1A to bid for properties yourself for one bidding round only; after this 1 week your Housing Assessment Officer will make bids for you to provide one offer of suitable accommodation anywhere in the city. Priorities in band 1A and 1B are normally for 3 months only. After this your application will be reviewed to decide whether it continues to warrant such a high level of priority. If it does you will be able to remain in that band for a further 3 months. However, if it is decided that your priority is to be reduced your application will be reassessed and placed in the band appropriate to your circumstances. If you are in Bands 2 or 3 you will remain in that band unless your circumstances change and your application is awarded a different level of priority.

What if someone in my household has a medical condition that is affected by their present accommodation?

If someone in your household has a medical condition that is affected by their present accommodation, you should provide these details to us, which will then be assessed to see if the circumstances warrant priority. Please complete the medical assessment form that can be printed off from the Further information page .

What do I do if my circumstances, address or contact details change?

It is very important you keep us informed of any changes in your circumstances, address or new telephone number.  This must be done by visiting your present online application, making the changes and clicking submit at the end of the application form.  Once you have submitted these changes we will verify the changes on your application form. Please do not email us or send messages regarding changes as these will not be processed or responded to. 

To complete the changes log on to your Coventry Homefinder account, go to 'My Social Housing' and click on the link that says 'click here to update your details'.  You must scroll through all 9 pages of the application form and click 'submit' at the end to ensure that these changes are sent to us.

Do I need to renew my application each year?

Yes.  You will receive a message on the anniversary of your application date asking you to review your application and submit it for verification.  If you fail to do this your application will be closed and you will have three months to request it to be reopened.  After three months your application will not be reopened and you will need to make a fresh application.

How do I request a review of a decision?

If you disagree with any of the following decisions you can request a review:

  • You are not eligible to join the housing register
  • You are not eligible for an offer
  • Your application has been cancelled other than at your own request
  • You think that you have been placed in the wrong band or given the wrong priority

To request a review you must write to the Coventry Homefinder team within 28 days of the date you are notified of the decision and the reason for it. You may provide additional information in writing that you wish to be taken into account when the review is carried out. You will normally be advised of the outcome of the review within 28 days.

Bidding and choosing a property on Homefinder

How often are properties advertised?

Properties available for rent are advertised each week. The bidding cycle starts on a Thursday and ends on a Tuesday each week. You are not able to place bids on a Wednesday.

Where are properties advertised?

Properties are advertised in the following ways:

  • Online at www.coventryhomefinder.com
  • In our Weekly Property List available from the Housing & Benefits Advice Centre, One stop shops, Libraries, housing association offices and advice centres.

You can access the advertised properties through Property Search

What information will the property adverts contain?

The adverts will tell you the landlord, location, size, rent and other features of the property. Where available a photograph of the property or a similar house type will be provided and you will be able to access information about the local area and facilities. The advert will also tell you if there are any special requirements that the applicant must meet, such as age requirements and how applicants will be prioritised. It also tells you the number of bedrooms  and bedspaces that applicants applying for the property need to be entitled to. If your bedroom entitlement is different to this you will not be able to bid for that property.

How do I apply for a property?

You can express your interest or bid, as it is also known, in the following ways:

How many properties can I express an interest in?

You will be able to express an interest in a maximum of three properties each time properties are advertised. However, you will only be able to express interest in properties that are suitable for your household requirements.

How long will I have to bid for a property?

Properties will be advertised from Thursday up until midnight the following Tuesday.

Will I know how many other people are interested in the same property?

Yes, when you bid for a property you will be told where you are in the queue. This is likely to change frequently due to other people bidding for the same property. Using this information you may decide to withdraw your bid for one property and bid for a different property for which you are higher placed in the queue. You can do this at any time before the closing date.

If I successfully bid for a rented property, can the landlord refuse to let it to me?

If you have rent arrears to a partner Housing Association you need to be aware that if you are successful in bidding for a property you may be overlooked due to any outstanding housing debt. Please contact the Housing Association to make arrangements to clear your arrears to avoid disappointment.

You may not be invited to view the property for the following reasons:

  • You owe rent or have other housing related debts
  • You are a Council or Housing Association tenant and legal action has been taken against you because you have broken your tenancy conditions
  • You are a Council or Housing association tenant and your property is in poor repair or decorative condition.
  • You have sufficient resources to solve your own housing problems
  • You have not provided the required documentary evidence to support your application by the date given
  • Your circumstances have changed and this results in a reduction in your level of priority.
  • You have provided incorrect or misleading information, which has resulted in your application being awarded a higher priority than it deserves.

How will I know what has happened to the properties advertised?

Information about homes that have been successfully let is published in recent lets. We tell you the number of applicants that expressed an interest in each property, the band and the registration date of each successful applicant. View the results of properties that have been let.

How does knowing what has happened to properties help me?

It will give you a better idea of how popular a particular property or area is and how long you would normally have to wait.  You can then decide whether to look for other types of property or areas where you may not have to wait as long or you could complete the Housing Options tool to discover if you have any other options to meet your housing needs. Click here to look at other options Housing Options Tool Kit

How do I view my position on previous bids?

Log on to your account on Homefinder and click onto 'Historic Bids'.

Offers

How do you decide who is offered a property?

Once the closing date for bids has passed a shortlist of interested applicants is drawn up. The shortlist is in order of eligibility according to the criteria stated in the advert details for that property. The applicant at the top of the list will normally be offered the property. 75% of properties advertised will proritise applicants by band, that is applicants in bands 1 will be prioritised above applicants in band 2 or 3. However 25% of properties advertised will prioritise applicants by their registration date only. We believe that this is fair to both those in priority need and those who have waited.

Who will contact me after my successful bid?

If you are in queue position 1 the Housing Association will contact you direct as the Coventry Homefinder Team do not deal directly with the allocation of properties.

If I am offered a property, will I be able to view it before making up my mind?

Yes. You will be given an opportunity to view the property and decide whether you would like to accept it.

What if I don’t like the property when I have seen it?

You will not be penalised for refusing a property that you have been offered and will still be able to express interest in properties that become available.

Who do I contact with a query about my property?

Any queries you have relating to properties should be made with the Housing Association who has advertised the property.

Are carpets and appliances provided?

You will normally have to provide your own carpets and appliances

If I have been housed through Coventry Homefinder, when can I reapply?

Once you have been housed you will be able to apply straight away to Coventry Homefinder.  Your registration number is a life time number and you must use this to make a new application.  Your registration date will change to the new application date.  To do this you must Log in to your Coventry Homefinder Account and follow the link on the homepage to 'apply online'.

Housing and homelessness

What other options are there for housing?

There is a shortage of homes in the Coventry area. Applicants on the Coventry Homefinder Register may have to wait a long time for re-housing. Depending on your circumstances you may wish to consider other options such as renting in the private sector or you could complete the Housing Options tool to discover if you have any other options to meet your housing needs. Click here to look at other options Housing Options Tool Kit

Can I make a mutual exchange?

Some of the partner Housing Associations are members of a national mutual exchange system known as Homeswapper.   Anyone interested in a mutual exchange can consult this system by logging onto www.homeswapper.co.uk

What if I become homeless?

If you are homeless, or threatened with homelessness within 28 days, you can contact the Housing Options team on 024 7683 4025 or visit the Housing Advice Centre, Spire House, New Union Street, CV1 2PW for advice and assistance.

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