ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Arun District Council
Choice Based Lettings User
Guide
www.arun.gov.uk
Telephone Bidding Line – 01903 737608
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
As from 7th October 2015 you will no longer be able to bid through the Homemove
Website for properties available in the Arun District.
Arun now has its own Choice Based Lettings system which is available through the
Arun Website www.arun.gov.uk.
In order to bid, you will need to register through the I-Housing link on our website:
Click on this link and then on the I-Housing link below:
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
This will bring up the I-Housing screen:
Click on the ‘email us’ link:
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Fill in the requested information and send the email. Please be aware that the email
address you use should be the one we hold on our housing system for you. You can
also download a form to fill in and send to us should you wish for someone else to
bid on your behalf.
We will then register you and you will be sent a password.
You will need to save the password for future use. If you forget your password there
is a ‘forgot password’ link should you need it.
You will be able to bid using your email address and password, once you have been
banded and accepted on to the register. You can click on the ‘login page’ link to do
this.
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
This will bring up the I-Housing menu screen:
Your User ID is your email address.
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Once logged in you will get the following menu:
Click on the ‘Bid For Properties’ link which will bring up the following screen:
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
You then need to click on the ‘Applications’ link on the side bar in order for you to
place bids:
Please note: you may get several applications on this list as it shows your past
applications as well as your current one.
Click on your current application number highlighted in blue:
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
This will open the status column so that if you are eligible to bid on a property, it will
allow you to bid on it.
You can check you bids and remove them by clicking on the ‘My Choices’ link on the
side bar:
If you want to remove a bid, click on the ‘remove bid’ link:
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Once you have finished bidding please remember to log out by using the Sign Off
link on the side bar.
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Priority Bands
When you register for housing as a transfer applicant or a homeseeker, your
application will be assessed by the Allocations Team. You will be placed in one of
the priority bands described below.
If you disagree with your priority band, you can ask for a review. To do this, please
put your reasons for a band review in writing to the Allocations Team.
It will help if you read the Allocations Scheme 2014 (amended 2015) which is
available on the Arun District Website. http://www.arun.gov.uk/housing-register
The scheme states which band reasons apply to you and why.
When bids are considered for advertised properties, priority will be given to eligible
bids from people in the highest priority band. If people from the same priority band
bid for the same property, we will consider first those with a local connection and the
earliest priority date. Some applicants in Band A and Band B have a limited time for
bidding. We will tell you in advance if this applies to you.
If your priority band is increased at any stage, your priority date will be the date you
went into the higher priority band. If you move back to a lower band, your priority
date will usually revert to your original registration date in that lower band.
The 3 priority bands are explained below. You will be told the exact reason you have
been placed in a band when you are accepted on to the Housing Register. For more
detailed information please contact Arun District Council for a copy of their
Allocations Scheme.
Band A
Emergency, urgent priority to move.
Band B
High housing need.
Band C
Identified housing need.
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Things to Consider Before
Bidding
When choosing a property to bid for, you need to consider a number of things.
You can ask your Council if any of these circumstances apply to you.
Is the property available to homeseekers, transfers, or both?
Most properties will be available for both homeseekers and transfer applicants, and
the adverts will display the ‘H/T’ icon. But if you do see an advert with an ‘H’ or a ‘T’
icon, this means only homeseekers (‘H’) or transfer applicants (‘T’) can bid. Your bid
will not count, for example, if you are a homeseeker and you bid on a property
advertised for transfer applicants.
Is there an age restriction on some properties?
Yes. Some properties have a minimum age requirement, for example in some
schemes for older people. If an age restriction icon appears on the advert you can
only bid on these properties if you are in that age range.
Some properties have a mobility group
This is intended to provide a guide to people who have different levels of mobility
need. Priority will usually be given to those who have a need for this type of property.
Pets
Some Landlords will not allow you to keep and cat or a dog unless the property has
its own garden. If you have a pet please check with the Landlord.
Before you bid for a property;
Check out the location of the property on a map to make sure it’s really a place you
would consider moving to, and to make sure you meet the criteria stated in the
advert.
Circumstances where you may not be invited to view a property;



You are in rent arrears
You have been involved in anti-social behaviour
In exceptional circumstances eg: where the offer would conflict with the
objectives to ensure offers are sensitively made and that properties are let
quickly.
You can ask at your Council Office is any of these circumstances apply to you. You
can also ask us to review the decision to exclude you from the scheme at any time.
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
What sort of tenancy will I be granted?
If you are a Homeseeker being offered a Council property at social rent, we may
offer you a secure tenancy straight away, or we may offer you an introductory
tenancy to start with.
An introductory tenancy is a twelve month trial period during which we or a Housing
Association will make sure than new tenants act responsible and follow the
conditions of the tenancy agreement. Introductory tenants who transfer within the
introductory period will remain introductory tenants for the remainder of the twelve
months. If there are no problems during the trial period, the introductory tenancy
automatically becomes a secure tenancy or a flexible tenancy. A flexible tenancy can
be for either five or ten years (for further information contact the Allocations Team).
Everyone being offered a housing association property, whether homeseeker or
transfer applicant, will normally be offered an assured tenancy with the association.
Affordable rented properties
The Government has introduced a new and more flexible form of social housing,
known as affordable rent, which will be offered by Housing Associations on some of
the properties advertised. These properties will be advertised with rents set at no
more than 80% of the local market rent. Tenants who bid and are successful on
these types of properties will be offered a flexible tenancy which will last for a
minimum of five years. Please make sure you look carefully at the adverts before
you bid to see what type of tenancy is being offered. In each advert there will be an
icon for ‘affordable rent’ or ‘social rent’. If you have any questions about a property
you can contact the Landlord of that property.
Key to Advert Symbols
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Our adverts are ordered by the type of property, and contain symbols for an at-a-glance
guide to the details and who can bid for it. These symbols are explained below:
Number of Bedrooms in the
Property
Available to
Homeseekers
only
Available to
transferring
tenants only
Available for
Homeseekers
and transferring
tenants
Minimum and maximum
number of people who can
live in the property
Floor Level of Property, if flat or
Maisonette
Property designed for
people of this age and above
Mobility
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Mobility 1
Typically suitable for a person who uses a
wheelchair full time, indoors and outdoors. The
property will provide full wheelchair access
throughout. Applicants assessed as needing this
type of property will be prioritised.
Mobility 2
Typically suitable for a person with restricted
walking ability and for those that may need to use a
wheelchair some of the time. The property will have
internal and external level or ramped access, but
some parts of the property may not be fully
wheelchair accessible. Applicants assessed as
needing this type of property will be prioritised.
Mobility 3
Typically suitable for a personable to manage a few
steps, but unable to manage steep gradients. The
property may have adaptations to assist people with
limited mobility. Applicants assessed as needing
this type of property will be prioritised.
Accompanying photographs in the adverts only show typical properties in the
advertised block or street. Please do not contact any occupants in these
buildings.
Choosing Properties
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
All the available properties are advertised each fortnight on the website –
www.arun.gov.uk
You will also be able to visit the Arun Civic Centre or Bognor Regis Town Hall to
view the properties either on a computer or as a printed list.
The adverts give you information about each property to help you decide which is
suitable for you.
Properties will be advertised every other Friday and your bids must reach us by 2pm
the following Wednesday. This is the bidding cycle. You can bid on a maximum of 4
properties in each bidding cycle.
You can bid using anyone of these two ways;
On the internet – Go to www.arun.gov.uk and log in to I-Housing with your email
address and your password.
By telephone – Call 01903 737608 and follow the instructions.
Offer
When bidding closes Arun puts the bids for each property in order – By Band, Local
Connection and Priority Date – to make a shortlist of eligible applicants for each
property.
Arun will allocate from the list after doing further eligibility checks. 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 bid for.
However, your priority may be reviewed if you refuse a property and you are in a
high priority band. Some types of applicants – for example homeless applicants –
have a limited time to bid and may have bids placed on their behalf to maximise their
chances of being housed quickly. You will be informed in advance if this applies to
you.
Some Landlords invite more than one applicant to view a property at the same time,
which helps to speed up the letting process. The property is still always offered to the
applicant with the highest priority who attends the viewing.
If you are made an offer you will not be shortlisted for another property until you have
made a decision to refuse the other offer.
Feedback
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
When you log in to I-Housing and click on the bid for properties link, you will notice
on the sidebar there is a ‘Previous Cycle Results’ link, this link will show you the
results of the previous bidding cycles.
If you are unsuccessful with a bid, you can use the feedback to help you understand
why. It tells you how many people bid for the properties, as well as the band and
priority date of the successful bidder. The priority date shows you how long the
successful bidder has been waiting.
You may wish to use the feedback information to help you decide how to bid in the
future. For example, you could bid for properties of different types, in areas that
attract fewer bidders, or in areas where people in lower bands have been housed.
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ARUN CHOICE BASED LETTINGS USER GUIDE
Contact Details
Arun District Council Allocations Team – 01903-737783
Email – [email protected]
Housing Association Contacts
Hyde Martlet
www.hydemartlet.co.uk
Affinity Sutton
www.affinitysutton.com
Home Group
www.homegroup.org.uk
A2Dominion
www.a2dominion.co.uk
Moat Homes Ltd
www.moat.co.uk
Places for People
www.placesforpeople.co.uk
Sanctuary Housing
www.sanctuary-housing.co.uk
Servite Housing
www.servitehouses.org.uk
Southern Housing Group www.shgroup.org.uk
(including James Butcher HA)
The Guinness Trust
www.guinnesspartnership.com
0800 085 4195
0300 100 0303
0208 868 9000
0800 432 0077
0845 600 1006
0800 432 0002
0800 781 4755
01903 734 339
0300 303 1771
01273 738 620
Need help bidding?
Contact us if you need help bidding. We will help and advise you on how to make
your bids and talk you through the bidding process.
A version of this user guide will be available on the Arun District Council Website.
Bidding Telephone Number
01903 – 737608
Unable to access the Website?
We want to make sure everyone can view vacant properties. If you feel you or
someone you support will have difficulty accessing or using the website, please
contact the Allocations Team.
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