How to bid
In order to bid for available properties you must be registered.
If your circumstances change you should contact the Housing Needs Team and you may need to complete a new application. Your application may be suspended while we await details regarding your change of circumstances.
If you lose your connection to the City of London your application is likely to be cancelled.
PLEASE READ THE FULL PROPERTY INFORMATION BEFORE YOU PLACE A BID
This will tell you on which estate the property is located; on which floor within the building it is situated; whether or not there is lift access; if the property has had any recent renovations; what heating it has and any special information such as whether it has a shower/ wet room rather than a bath etc.
Please note: Not all of our estates have lifts; if you have a problem with stairs please make sure you check for this information each time before you bid.
The property information will state the weekly rent and any other important information E.G. if the property is a Housing Association Nomination property which means your landlord will be another provider, not than the City of London.
Please ensure you check the rent level for the property. Some properties have their rent set at close to the market level for the area in which they are situated and can be considerably more expensive. You need to decide whether you can afford to pay the rent before you bid on the property.
If you win the bid for a Housing Association property, please be aware that the viewing process will be different to the City of London properties. We will provide the list of successful bidders to the Housing Association and they will contact the successful households directly. You should be aware that some Housing Associations conduct group viewings where more than one household is called to view a property but the winning bidder still has first refusal. Refusal of a Housing Association property still counts towards the maximum of 3 refusals before an application is suspended.
You should also familiarise yourself with the location of our estates before you bid so you know whether you are willing to move to a particular area.
Please make sure the property is suitable for your needs before you bid; you do not want to waste a potential offer based on information that was provided at the bidding process.
Only place a bid if you are willing to live in the property on the particular estate.
You can only turn down 3 properties that you are offered before your application is suspended for at least 12 months.
If you have been accepted as homeless by the City of London Homeless Team you can only view ONE property which is a suitable offer. This property could be in either the private or social rented sectors. If you refuse that property the City of London shall discharge the housing duty they have to provide accommodation. If duty is discharged you will lose the points which you have been awarded due to your homelessness and will be asked to leave the temporary accommodation. If you do not have a current connection to the City of London by residence or employment your application to be on the Housing Register would also be cancelled. If you refuse a property you may be considered to be “intentionally homeless” in which case you would have 50 points deducted from your total.
If you are unsure, call the Housing Needs Team or the relevant estate office to ask any questions before you place your bid.
You are NOT permitted to view a property BEFORE you are made an offer.
Placing a bid is your desire to view a particular property. Viewing a property counts as an offer. Following a viewing if you decide you do not want to live in that property it will be recorded as turning down the property.
Make sure you are available to view and keep your Contact Details up to date.Please make sure we have your current mobile and a daytime telephone number for you or your partner.
If you are regularly in the top 5 of the bid list, please make sure you are available for us to call you in the days following the bid cycle.
If we are unable to contact you to make an offer or if you are unable to view the property within the allocated time, it may mean you are bypassed and the property is offered to the next person on the list.
You can call us to update your information or email us on: [email protected]
Please call the Housing Needs Team to discuss any queries you may have or email us on: [email protected] for answers to any questions regarding your application.
We will often respond by letter to any detailed query: please allow time for this.