Choice Based Lettings
Home-Link is the choice based lettings scheme for the Forest Heath area and the Cambridge sub-region. Under the scheme anyone interested in applying for social housing in the Forest Heath district, or any of the other local authority areas in the Cambridge sub-region, will need to register with the scheme.
Step 1 - Applying
You will need to send in copies of documents as proofs. These are outlined on the last page of the application form.
Step 2 - Assessing your application
Your application will be assessed by the Housing Options team and your application will be awarded one of four bands depending on your housing need.
Once we have accepted you onto the register you will be sent the Home-Link user guide, your Home-Link number, the band you are in and your priority date (the date you were placed into that band).
The Bands
- Band A - Urgent need
- Band B - High need
- Band C - Medium need
- Band D - Adequately housed
A is the highest band and D is the lowest. Within each of these bands there are a number of criteria which each applicant will be assessed against. Priority is decided by the housing needs band and the length of time in that band - so the person in the highest band for the longest time will be seen to have the highest need.
You must keep your local council or housing association informed of any changes to your circumstances, eg, changes to your household size, medical condition or housing situation. This is very important as it could result in changing your band or your eligibility for certain properties.
Step 3 - Bidding for property
Available properties are advertised each fortnight on the Home-Link web site and in the Home-Link magazine, giving you information about each available property. You can pick up a free copy of the Home-Link magazine from our offices and the local libraries in Mildenhall, Newmarket and Brandon.
Properties will usually be advertised every other Friday. Your bids must reach us by 12 noon the following Wednesday. This is known as the bidding cycle.
Registered applicants of the Home-Link scheme will be able to bid for a maximum of three properties in each bidding cycle.
You can bid in the following ways:
- On the web
- By telephone: 0870 727 0481
- By text: 07781 472 726
- By coupon
Step 4 - The offer
Once the bidding cycle has closed, we put the bids received in priority order to produce a shortlist of eligible applicants for each property.
If your name is at the top of the shortlist, you will normally be invited to view the property. If you refuse this property, the next person on the shortlist will be invited to view it.
You do not automatically get penalised for refusing a property you have successfully bid for. However, we may review your circumstances if you refuse several properties, especially if you are in a high housing needs band and need to move urgently.
People who have come top of a shortlist are usually contacted within a week of the close of the bidding cycle.
Properties may be advertised some time before they are ready for occupation, in which case you will be informed once the property is available.
Whilst a property is under offer to you, you will not be able to place bids on any other properties. Only one property may be on offer to an applicant at one time.
If you receive an offer to view, and you do not intend to turn up, you must contact the landlord.
Step 5 - Feedback
All properties are listed on the Feedback page of Home-Link once they have been let.
The feedback tells you how many people bid for each property, as well as the band and priority date of the successful bidder. This helps you to see how long the successful bidders have been waiting.
It is not possible to notify you individually when your bids have been unsuccessful.
If you have questions about how the scheme applies to you or about bidding for properties, housing staff are available to support you at your local council or housing association offices.
You will need to complete a Home-Link application form if you wish to apply for a housing association property, if you are a current tenant of Kings' Forest Housing or another housing association and wish to transfer to another property, or you would like to apply for sheltered accomodation.