Manchester Move FAQs
Who can apply for a home with Manchester Move?
Anyone can apply but not everyone will be eligible for housing.
There are also some restrictions for applicants who have committed a serious
criminal offence or who have lived outside of the UK. These applicants will be
considered by the central team at Manchester Move and are assessed on a case by
case basis.
Also if you have had an issue with a previous social housing tenancy, such as some
rent arrears or you broke your tenancy agreement, your name may be on the
Rehousing Review List which means you cannot be rehoused until this has been
investigated.
Preference for rehousing on Manchester Move goes to people who live or work in
Manchester. If you live in another part of the UK, or live in the nearby area but do not
pay your Council Tax to Manchester, you can get preference for a local connection –
for example if you have lived here in the very recent past or have immediate family
who are settled in the city.
How do I apply?
Manchester Move is a completely online service and all applications are now done
through the website, www.manchestermove.co.uk.
If you do not have access to the internet you can ask at your local library about
computer access or ask a friend or family member to help. If this is not possible you
can contact the customer service centre on 0333 900 9032.
Who is my ‘case holding team’ and why?
If you are living in a Council or housing association property as a tenant or a lodger
your case holding team will be that landlord. If not, your application you will be
allocated to one of the 20 landlords which advertise their homes on Manchester
Move.
Your chance of a home is not influenced in any way by who manages your case
papers as all landlords use the same process to award banding.
I’ve applied online. What do I do next?
Upon completion of the registration process Manchester Move will have prompted
you to print or e-mail yourself a copy of the Personal Application Pack. This is also
stored online on your Welcome Page. This form has your rehousing number, case
holding team and a list of everything you need to send.
Please do not send original documents as the safe return cannot be guaranteed.
If you post these copies also ensure that you pay the correct postage for the size
and weight of the envelope to avoid any delays.
How long will it be before I can bid?
As long as you have sent in all of the correct information and the officer assessing
this is satisfied that all of the information you have provided is correct, it will go live
within 28 days of your case holding team receiving the documents.
If you have lived outside of the UK or have committed a serious offence the
Manchester Move team will conduct some extra eligibility checks and they will write
to you once this is completed.
What band will I go into?
Each application is assessed according to the information you have declared and it
will depend on what you have said, and more importantly the evidence you supply to
support this, as to which band you are placed in.
There are 7 sets of Allocation Policy rules that your application will be assessed by
and some landlords award different priorities for different circumstances.
The majority of the landlords which advertise on Manchester Move, including
Southway, use the Manchester City Council Allocations Policy, where Band 1 is the
highest priority and Band 6b is the lowest.
You can check your rehousing priority at any time on your Manchester Move
account.
I don’t agree with the band I’m in. What can I do?
You will only be assessed for the information you have provided once you have sent
the evidence in.
If there are still items on your Personal Application Pack which are outstanding, send
them to your case holding team.
How do I bid?
You must first log in and set a password and some security questions.
You can bid online by selecting the advert of the home you are interested in and
clicking the pink button at the bottom of the page. You can have a maximum of three
bids per week but you can change these whenever you want.
The properties are advertised from around midnight on Thursday to 1pm the
following Wednesday. You have seven days to place a bid so there is no pressure to
place a bid.
Occasionally there are First Come First Served properties on Manchester Move
which are allocated to the first eligible bidder. However Southway do not advertise
these kind of properties.
If you do not have access to the internet at home, through the library, or via friends
and family you will be assessed for your ability to access the service and other
options can be discussed.
What type of properties will I be considered for?
Southway, and many other landlords, will only offer you a property that has enough
rooms for your family and, if you have been assessed by the Manchester Move
medical team, suits your health needs.
There are strict rules about how many rooms you can be eligible for and this
depends on your ‘size entitlement’. For example if you have two children under 21
and they are both boys you will only be entitled to one room for you and one for
them.
How are properties allocated?
There is no such thing as a housing waiting list. Each home that is advertised on
Manchester Move has own shortlist which is made up of the people who bid on it.
Your bid depends on your banding and award date not the time that you bid and
those applicants with the highest priority and who have had that priority the longest
are placed at the top.
For example an applicant with a Band 1 will always place at the top but a person
who has the award date of 14 February 2013 will always be ahead of a person in
Band 1 with today’s date.
The system closes the shortlist at 1pm on Wednesday and then the housing officer
which manages the property looks at the list to see who is eligible. Sometimes
people in the list cannot be offered the property, for example if it is too big for the
family or does not have the adaptations required but it will always be the first eligible
person who is offered it.
How will I know if I have been offered a property?
You will either be contacted by the housing association managing the property or
when you log in to Manchester Move it will prevent you from logging in and tell you
that you have been offered a property.
It is very important that you keep your contact details up to date as if you do not
answer within a certain length of time, the property will be offered to the next
applicant in the shortlist.
If you do not hear from anyone you have not been successful. You can check how
you have got on at any time by logging into your Manchester Move account and
clicking on the ‘Your Previous Bids’ option.
What happens if I am offered a property but do not want it?
It depends on the circumstances of each offer. You have three reasonable offers
with Manchester Move but if you decline the third reasonable offer your application
will be demoted to Band 6b for six months.
By placing a bid you are registering your intent to rent that property which is why you
should only bid on properties that you would genuinely like to live in.
You have seven days to finalise your bids and there is plenty of information on the
advert and the website to give you a good idea of the area, local schools etc and you
can check the local Transport for Greater Manchester website for details of buses,
trains and trams that serve that area.
You will be given an accompanied viewing with the housing officer and you can raise
any concerns you have then but if you refuse it, and it is not for a good reason, this
WILL count as one of your refusals.
How long will I be waiting?
It is difficult to say as there are only properties advertised when people decide to
move out and depending on the type of property you need and the area you want, it
could be a very long time. Social housing is a scarce resource and there is an
unprecedented demand for this kind of accommodation.
Southway’s areas, Burnage, Chorlton, Didsbury, Fallowfield and Withington, are
amongst the most popular in the area and there are hundreds of bids placed for each
property. The majority of our properties go to applicants with a Band 1 or Band 2
priority so if you are in a band lower than this it is unlikely that you will receive an
offer for one of our homes. However other housing associations have properties in
south Manchester too.
Manchester Move has a lot of information for you to make informed choices about
your bids. You can see in real time how many people have bid for the property and
whereabouts your bid would place if you made one. This list will change EVERY
DAY so the best way to manage your bids is to check regularly throughout the cycle
to check where your bids are and if you are dropping down the list of your chosen
property you may wish to consider another one where you are higher up.
I’ve made a mistake on my application, can you fix it?
No, once you have submitted the information to the Manchester Move system at
registration this cannot be changed. You can update your circumstances online.
What if my circumstances change?
It is the responsibility of the customer to manage their account so if anything
changes you must update your application online.
You can do this at any time by selecting the Report a Change in Circumstances
option from your Manchester Move welcome page. This will prompt you to start a
new form and you can complete this to update your account. Please send in any
proof of your new circumstances such as proof of new address or ID for someone
who you are adding.
I’m homeless or threatened with homelessness – can I get one of your homes?
Only the Local Authority can make the decision on whether or not someone is
homeless so you should contact Manchester City Council Homelessness Advice and
Assessment Service on 0161 234 4692 for further advice and assistance.
If you are found to be unintentionally homeless you can get priority with Manchester
Move but you will need to provide your decision letter from the local authority first.
I’m pregnant – can I update my application before the baby is born?
Yes, but your application will remain ineligible until you provide the case holding
team with a copy of your Mat B1 certificate – a form signed by your midwife at 20
weeks which confirms your expected due date.
We cannot accept pregnancy notes, an NHS Maternity Exemption Certificate or any
other details – it must be the Mat B1.
You will then be eligible for an extra place in your moving group once your
pregnancy has reached 28 weeks.
What if I move?
If you move into another property, you can just update your circumstances. However
if you have moved into a social housing property your application will be removed
and you will have to reapply on Manchester Move – your new landlord will then
manage the application.