Coventry Homefinder 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.
Anyone who has been accepted onto the Coventry Homefinder register is able to use the service.
You cannot use Homefinder if you have not completed an application form and been accepted onto the Coventry 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.
You will need to complete an application form online. Complete an online application now.
The application form for Homefinder will register your interest for a housing association rented home with any of our partners. You will not need to apply to each housing association separately.
If you are not already registered you should complete the online application. Please complete the application form accurately and fully. Providing false information is an offence. Completing the information in full will allow us to register the application without having to ask for further information.
You will not be able to bid for properties until we have registered your Homefinder application. We aim to complete this process within 10 working days.
We will confirm the details that you provide to us, by asking you to provide documents to confirm your circumstances. This may be confirmed once you have submitted your application or once you have successfully bid for a property. Please ensure that you have the relevant proof and provide this to us when we request it. This can include:
All documents provided must be originals, up to date and valid.
If you do not provide us with the documents required your application may be accepted onto the housing register but will not be awarded any priority. Once the documents are received your application will be assessed and placed in the appropriate band.
There are also some people who will not by law be eligible to join the register. These are:
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.
Providing you have properly completed your application form it will be processed but placed in band 3A or 3B, until the documents are received, when it will be moved into the appropriate band. If your application form is incomplete it may prevent you being registered until the information is provided.
If you lose your registration letter and cannot remember your reference number please call at the Housing Advice Centre Ground Floor Spire House New Union Street, Coventry and go to Desk 5. You will need to provide proof of identification and we will then give you your reference number.
If you telephone the Coventry Homefinder Team to notify them you have lost your registration number we will send you a duplicate registration letter in the post. We will not give registration numbers without proof of identification or over the telephone.
You will receive a letter confirming that you have been accepted onto the Coventry Homefinder register. This will tell you your registration number and password, the band you have been placed, the date your application has been registered from and the size of property you are eligible for.
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.
If you are accepted as Statutory Homeless you will have the benefit of being in Band 2A for 8 bidding cycles only. 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.
If someone in your household has a medical condition you will be asked to provide details, 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 .
It is very important you keep us informed of any changes in your circumstances, address or new telephone number so that we can amend your application as you may be overlooked for an offer if we cannot contact you. We will tell you if this results in your application moving to a different band.
No. The Coventry Homefinder team will review your application annually.
If you disagree with any of the following decisions you can request a review:
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.
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.
Properties are advertised in the following ways:
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 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.
You can express your interest or bid, as it is also known, in the following ways:
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.
Properties will be advertised from Thursday up until midnight the following Tuesday.
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 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:
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 property. View the results of properties that have been let.
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.
Log on to your account on Homefinder and click onto 'Historic Bids'.
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.
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.
Yes. You will be given an opportunity to view the property and decide whether you would like to accept 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.
Any queries you have relating to properties should be made with the Housing Association who has advertised the property.
You will normally have to provide your own carpets and appliances.
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.
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
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.