Step 1 - Membership
You are automatically a member of HomechoiceWB if West Berkshire Council accepts you onto the Common Housing Register. If you are not on the Common Housing Register you can apply on-line at www.Homechoicewb.org.uk or contact the Housing Operations Team for a paper application form. If you need more information about wheather you are eligible, please contact the Housing Operations Team at West Berkshire Council.Step 2 - Registration
Once your completed application has been assessed and you have been included on the Common Housing Register, we will write to you. We will tell you how many points you have, the size of property you are eligible for and your unique HomechoiceWB number. You will also be sent a Scheme User Guide and a batch of postal bidding coupons.Step 3 - Bidding
The weekly cycle runs from 12 noon Thursday to 12 noon the following Wednesday. Your bids must reach us by 12 noon Wednesday to to considered.You can bid for as many properties as you like, as long as you are eligible for them, in each weekly cycle. For example, if you are eligible for a two bed property and there is a two bed house and 3 two bed flats advertised, you can choose to bid for all 4 properties.
Properties are advertised in a leaflet called HomechoiceWB and on the website www.homechoicewb.org.uk
The adverts give you information about each property available for letting and a photograph will be included if available.
You can bid in 4 ways:
1. On the internet - go to www.homechoice.org.uk and log on with your unique HomechoiceWB number and your date of birth. Follow the instructions on the screen.
2. By Telephone - call 0870 7276 919 and follow the instructions. Calls cost 7p per minute.
3. By Coupon - Once you have registered we will send blank coupons along with your Registration Pack. Your coupons have your name and HomechoiceWB number printed on them. This number is unique to you so no one else can use your coupons. To request more coupons, simply tick the box on the coupon when you send it back or contact the Housing Operations Team.
4. In person at the Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury.
Step 4 - Offer
At the end of the weekly bidding cycle, all bids for each property are put in priority order based on the number of points. If two bidders have the same number of points, the person who has been registered the longest will be offered to view the property.A shortlist of applicants is then produced. The top three bidders from each shortlist will be contacted by the relevant Housing Association and invited to view the property. Following the viewing, it will be offered to the person with the highest points. If they refuse the property, it is then offered to the next person on the list, and so on.
You do not get penalised for withdrawing your bid for a property at the viewing stage, but if you are offered the property and then refuse it, it will count as a refusal of a reasonable offer. If you refuse three reasonable offers, your application may be suspended for 12 months.
Step 5 - Feedback
It is not possible to notify you individually when your bids have been unsuccessful but you can get this information from the website; see 'bidding history' after you have logged in or the feedback page in the HomechoiceWB leaflet.All properties that have been advertised will be listed on the Feedback page of the leaflet once they have been let. This tells you how many people bid for each property as well as the points level of the successful bidder.