Homechoice@Colchester Giving you more choice in where you live.
What happens after bidding finishes?
After bidding has finished, all the interested applicants are placed in order of their band and effective date. If you are at the top of the shortlist, you may be offered a chance to view the property you are interested in. We will contact you to advise you if you have finished in the top 3 positions (only). If you are still interested in the property we will pass your contact details to the landlord to arrange a viewing of the property. (This is why it is important we have up to date telephone number(s) for you). If you need to give new telephone number details select contact at the top of the screen and provide details and remember to click on submit message at the end.
Sometimes, a landlord will arrange a viewing with the top three applicants. You will be told what position you are in. If you are number two, you will only be offered the property if number one turns it down. Number three will only be offered the property if number one and two do not want it.
Remember, there will be other people who are interested in the same home. Please let us know as soon as possible if you do not want to view the property, or if you want to turn down the property after viewing. Remember, there are no penalties for refusals, and the quicker we know, the quicker we can contact the next person on the list.
To take part in Homechoice @ Colchester you need to be on Colchester's Housing Needs Register. To ask for a form you can click on 'application form'.
Online Application Form
To re-register to the Greater Haven Gateway online click here
What and Where Guide
To view statistics and find out information on the number of properties available in different parts of the borough as well as details on local facilities please click on the following link :here (If you are visually impaired and have trouble viewing the first link please use the following alternative link :Link 2).
Mutual exchanges
To advertise your home you need to be a current council or housing association tenant eligible for an exchange living in Colchester. Your advert will not appear immediately, it will be validated by the Homechoice team within a working day.
If you want to apply for mutual exchange properties you need to be a current council or housing association tenant with a secure tenancy.
Are you interested in shared ownership?
HomeBuy is a programme that helps people who wish to buy a property but cannot afford to, and those who wish to rent but cannot afford to pay market rents.
How do I apply for HomeBuy?
Colchester Borough Council is pleased to be working in partnership with Moat, a leading housing association, to offer HomeBuy to people in our local authority area. Anyone interested in applying for HomeBuy should contact Moat by visiting www.homebuy.co.uk or calling 07002 662846. This web site provides comprehensive information about HomeBuy and offers the facility to apply online.
How do we decide who should view a property?
General properties
Generally applicant queue number is decided by band and waiting time. If there is more than one applicant in each band, they are ordered by how long they have been in that band, by their ‘effective date’.
|
Name |
Band |
Effective date |
|
Mrs Emergency |
E |
07.11.2006 |
|
Mr Smith |
A |
01.06.2001 |
|
Mrs Jones |
A |
01.09.2004 |
|
Mr Potato |
B |
02.05.1996 |
|
Mr Carrot |
B |
01.06.2004 |
|
Mrs Celery |
C |
01.04.2003 |
|
Miss Tomato |
D |
01.05.1995 |
Adapted properties
Some properties are adapted for people with disabilities. These properties have an ‘accessibility code’. People needing these adaptations will come above people who don’t in the top bands.
Ground floor flat - code 5
|
Name |
Accessibility need |
Band |
Date |
|
Mr Carrot |
5 |
B |
01.06.2004 |
|
Mrs Emergency |
None |
E |
07.11.2006 |
|
Mr Smith |
None |
A |
01.06.2001 |
|
Mrs Jones |
None |
A |
01.09.2004 |
|
Mr Potato |
None |
B |
02.05.1996 |
|
Mrs Celery |
None |
C |
01.04.2003 |
|
Miss Tomato |
None |
D |
01.05.1995 |
Sheltered Properties
The aim of this type of housing is to provide individual, easily managed homes which allow older people to keep their privacy, dignity and independence. The Scheme Manager can organise a whole range of services to help, but sheltered housing is not meant to provide nursing care. For more information click on the link below.
www.colchesterboroughhomes.co.uk/Sheltered
Your new council home
What you can expect when moving into a council property please click the New council home link below:
Other circumstances
Local Lettings Policy
For these properties, applicants will be skipped who do not fulfil the criteria.
Applicants who owe rent
If applicants owe rent at their current home, they will be skipped for Housing Association properties because they will not take tenants with a history of poor payment. There is more discretion with Colchester Borough Homes properties, but if applicants are not making an attempt to pay the rent owed, they will not be considered for properties.
Number of children
If we have a very large house to advertise, preference may be given for families with over a certain number of children. These families will come before other applicants.