Housing Register

Bidding, shortlisting and offers

We use a system called choice based lettings for advertising available properties.

If you are accepted onto the register, you will be able to bid on properties you’re interested in. No money is exchanged.  There is no limit on how many properties you can bid on at once.

Properties can be added daily and each advert will be open for a minimum of 5 days.  You should check the Kent Homechoice website frequently.  There will be days that there are no properties available.

If you do not have access to the internet you can request automated bidding on your account.  The automated bids are made by the system on your behalf.

The advert will give details of the property including property type, the number of bedrooms and maximum occupancy, whether there is a garden or pets are allowed and the rent.

You may not be able to bid on an advert if there is an age restriction or your household has more people than the limit, even if it is your bedroom size need.

Due to the shortage of larger properties a household who is a 4 bedroom need or more can sometimes place a bid on properties that are smaller than their bedroom need.  The housing association will then make the final decision on whether to allow the overcrowding depending on the size and layout of the property and your households needs.

We can’t answer enquiries regarding specific properties and shortlists.  You can access this information through your Kent Homechoice account including your position on individual shortlists.

We aren’t notified in advance of when properties will be advertised on the Kent Homechoice website and will not be able to answer any queries about upcoming properties or empty properties.

Once the advert has closed a shortlist is created in band and priority date order.  We then provide this shortlist to the housing association.  This process is referred to as nominating.

Shortlists are fixed at the point of the advert closing.  We cannot alter the shortlist once it has closed.  You may notice your position change if you check just before the advert closes and then again the next morning.  This is because the automated bids are placed overnight just after the advert closes.

The housing association who own the property will work through the shortlist, starting at the top.

If you are offered a property the housing association will contact you directly.  They may ask you to complete additional forms and provide supporting information.  You must respond by the date they have given you or they will withdraw the offer.  The property will say that the shortlist is being processed until the property has been accepted.  Some properties can take a few months to change status.

Most housing associations will require rent in advance so you should ensure that you have this available.

If you are at the top of a shortlist but not offered the property the reason will be added to your Kent Homechoice account for you to see why.  The most common skip reasons are:

• Property suitability as cannot be adapted to meet your needs
• The property is adapted and you do not require the adaptations
• There is an age restriction
• The property is too small for your needs
• There is a local lettings plan which was stated in the advert and you do not meet the requirements

Each housing association has their own criteria for deciding how to let their properties.  The final decision on whether you will be offered the property made by the relevant housing association in accordance with their policy.