10.311 BHC USER GUIDE (Aug 2010):Layout 1
Contents
1. The IVR telephone number is 0845 330 3183 local rates You will need your user ID PIN number and the property advert reference number to select a property All you have to do is call the number and follow some very easy steps There are instructions to guide you through these steps In less than two minutes you can register your property selection over the telephone You can place up to three bids in each cycle When you have completed recording your property selection this will be confirmed with you before the call is ended Remember if you want to change your bid you need to use the Birmingham Home Choice website pase 14 You can place three bids in one call USING INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TELEVISION TO VIEW PROPERTIES AND PLACE A BID If you are a Sky Virgin or Freeview customer you can place a bid using your remote control and interactive digital television known as Looking Local You can also use this service if you have a mobile phone that can access the internet Sky customers To access Birmingham Home Choice press the interactive button on your remote and select DirectGov from the menu On the welcome page press select on your remote and then choose the option for Local Services Follow the options through the Midlands and the West Midlands to Birmingham You will then need to choose the option for Other Services Choose the option called Housing Services Birmingham Home Choice is on the menu along with our2. gt c Aecessiia Housing Category GPpund Floor Accommodation Sheltered Accommodation Available Property Accessible Properties only Apply Fiters FLAT 2 90 ABBEYFIELD ROAD STOCKLAND GREEN Full Property Info Meta tuna 1000063 Heys dip ZoneA BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL 1 0 Flat econo Available RATZ MANTON HOUSE NEWPINGE ROAD some rana 1036988 BIRMINGHAM B19 na 2 RB Return to My Details Bid Property See Properties on Map Zone B BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL 10 VERT button 3 You can reduce the list to show only properties that you are interested in by setting a number of preferences These are displayed in the grey Select the Filter Criteria section at the top of the page You can search based on criteria such as a Area of the city see page 36 b Bedroom size Remember you will not usually be able to bid on properties that are larger than you are eligible for You can however bid on properties that are one bedroom short as long as it won t result in you by law being overcrowded c Sheltered accommodation If you are looking for studio accommodation a property where the sleeping and living space is combined please search using 0 bedrooms Once you have chosen your criteria press APPLY i 4 To see full details for a property click on the button FULL PROPERTY INFO on the right side of your
3. Household Details Household Details When you are finished using this site you mus amp log out Contact Info View Properties N HERETO Your bid placed successfully My Current Bids View Previous Bid Results Shia all in last month Go i Property Still Open For Bidding LA Apu Advert No Address inf Date Withdraw Bid Tot Bids Bid Position View Date 4000063 FLAT2 90 ABBEYFIELD ROAD STOCKLAND GREENBIRMINGHAM 07 01010 WithdrawBid f2 4i2 OB 01 2010 4 You will be taken back to the full property details screen In place of the Hi BID button you will see a button labelled 5 Click on this button to withdraw your bid You will be returned to the My Details page 6 The INFO bar confirms that your bid has been withdrawn Useful features of the Birmingham Home Choice website To listen to our website Click on the Say It icon Translation Click on languages and pick the language you require text size A A A tex only graphical sitemap site accessibility agewt 4 Lamgueges About Us Contact Us Large font Click on Text size at the top of the screen Our website is designed to be easy to use for people with hearing and sight difficulties It is compatible with most plug in devices Text only option Click on Text only at the top of the screen This allows you to view the website with no graphics and to change the colours of the text
4. use of your bid on our website www birminghamhomechoice org uk MORE USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR APPLICATION How we choose who gets the property You can only bid for properties that you are eligible for Birmingham City Council uses its allocations scheme to decide the number of bedrooms a person is eligible for This way we can be fair about who gets which property For example larger households will be eligible for larger properties Your registration certificate will tell you what size and type of property you are eligible for under our allocations scheme If you are unsure please contact your local neighbourhood office For more detailed information on how we make this decision please see our allocations summary available from your local neighbourhood office or on our website www birminghamhomechoice org uk The shortlist of applicants will be based on people s housing needs points The number of points you have is on your registration certificate If you have any questions about your points please contact your local neighbourhood office The applicants with the most points who are eligible for the property will be selected to view the property Larger properties There is a big demand for larger properties in Birmingham Rooms in larger properties vary in size This means that a three bedroom property may be too small for you and your family while another three bedroom property will be large enough So
5. can write them down here User ID PIN number If you have lost your user ID and PIN number please phone the organisation you are registered with see page 34 for the phone numbers Decide how you want to view properties and bid on them You can look through property adverts on the website property newsletter and interactive television Properties are advertised for one week from one minute past midnight on Thursday to one minute to midnight on Tuesday You can bid on our properties using the website interactive telephone interactive television and text messaging You can change your bid on the website This chart shows you your options at a glance Look through property adverts Birmingham Home Choice website See page 8 Birmingham Home Choice property newsletter See page 16 Interactive Voice Recognition IVR telephone See page 18 Interactive Digital television See page 19 SMS text messaging See page 21 USING THE INTERNET You can go online to see what properties are available each week to bid and change your bid You can use the internet free at any of Birmingham s libraries see page 34 Go to www birminghamhomechoice org uk or search for Birmingham Home Choice To start 1 Click on the link to Na page Bone CHOICE Transforming Housing Me Welcome to gt Home et Symbols explained Birmingham Home Choice How to Apply ee Welcome to Bi
6. MAA IE NTT ST SPICE SP OF BA BIA BA ASAT Ter qp affe DU a TTC ASN FATS FH Aaa SITI SARA ACH HPS FA ATE FAA AA ITE FRAPS Sa GRA Baal A A 11YON39 ERRER QURAN E KAI Se S BU BER RAN RAN PK A AE SH IRSE LODS PRANK Ko SERA RHEE BR EK 3S3NIHO AB ia o Tem peel I lj t aS QU Ai Aa gf Vence ya SA Ua cara gay Ld cil c goma B ama ea emg PENA oa AS NIA LAS pai EET kala Lp ya Lat fone ai Kaj yA ly pil oye cll La Bp AS gi HM ya ISHVJ Message important Si vous ne comprenez pas ce document demandez un ami ou un membre de votre famille qu parle anglais de prendre contact en votre nom avec votre bureau de voisinage ou avec l quipe du logement Nous prendrons alors les dispositions n cessaires pour qu un interpr te soit pr sent HINAY uada Ag AS 6 Side GA jo ali pal py AT AS Vala AMS pi KAKI Lee BAIT alus g yi et ABA ARG Aipa ggi doa adi Fi cath o agla ga Ay Ob ASAL ogad p NA Aani gija AA ce Res 9 95 da Col Ss gao ji gi M3 gto cs ARGA OUG us BR yy cala mah a a g ab IT A gle iiS 5 dy Cylons Aa aS gi Hsldany Wa ne Je eli nie rozumiesz tre ci tego dokumentu zwr si o pomoc do przyjaciela lub krewnego kt ry m wi po angieisku aby skontaktowa si w Twoim imieniu z lokalnym Biurem Srodowiskowym Neighbourhood Office lub wydziatem do spraw mieszkaniowych Housing Team Zatatwimy wtedy dla Ciebie ttumacza HSNOd feg gie at wadt Ji A sag fen uad vl mus adt Sardi zi fagur aad nue fan maat due es Drs F fangens w
7. and background You won t be able to view symbols with the text only option USING THE PROPERTY ADVERT NEWSLETTER TO VIEW PROPERTIES You can download or read a property newsletter which will contain details of all the properties available that week To download a copy of the property advert newsletter 1 Go to the Birmingham Home Choice website www birminghamhomechoice org uk and click on This week s properties Q O HEA ole BU a Wednesday July 14 2010 3 10 03 PMja AA home CHOICE Transforming Housing Men Welcome to Home Birmingham Home Choice gt Symbols explained How to Apply b How to Bid Housing Terms Welcome to Birmingham Home Choice the new way that the council gt Housing Options and other Registered Social Landlords let their homes bodie ibat On this site you will find more information about how to join the How helpful is our Voluntary Partners scheme how to bid for properties and how to get supporting using User Guide Lettings Feedback Birmingham Home Choice Symbols Guide diy CR MAU ada If you are ready to get started visit our Property Site where you can Application Form 3 uv FASS view what is available this week place bids and manage your account Access Points Application form E gt Property Site There is a high demand for social housing in Birmingham We strongly guide j advise our customers to consider all of their housing options whe
8. be rehoused by Birmingham City Council If we penalise you for refusing a property we will tell you beforehand that this will apply to you If you don t turn up for your viewing without telling us or consistently refuse suitable properties we will review your application and we may reduce your housing points Getting feedback Feedback about your bids is located on the My Details page of the Birmingham Home Choice website My Current Bids lists the properties you have bid on and what your final position is on the list The feedback tells you e about your current and previous bids e where you are in the shortlist for any current bids e if you were unsuccessful where you were in the shortlist and if there was a particular reason that you were unsuccessful The feedback also tells you how many points the successful applicant had and when they joined the housing register We also provide information on all our lettings each week on our website To see this you can visit www birminghamhomechoice org uk and click on Lettings Feedback Wednesday July 14 2010 3 10 03 PM A A home CHOICE Transfoiming Housing egens CES Birmingham Home Choice Documents This week s E i 1 HousingfTerms Welcome to Birmingham Home Choice the new way that the council properties gt Housing Options and other Registered Social Landlords let their homes User Guide diy On this site you will find more info
9. bedrooms Studio 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 Sheltered Warm air heating Central heating District heating What the symbol means Symbol Underfloor heating Electric heating o Gas heating 22821 2829 30 No pets allowed Change of circumstances If your circumstances change please tell us For example please tell us if you are pregnant or if someone leaves your household You can do this by completing a Change of Circumstances form available from your neighbourhood office or at www birmingham gov uk finding a home If you change where you live you will need to complete a new Housing Application so that we can ensure your details and assessment are still correct This form is available from your neighbourhood office or from our website www birminghamhomechoice org uk It is important to keep your details with us up to date If your circumstances change and you do not tell us we may be unable to shortlist you Change of contact details If your contact details change it is important that you tell us so that we can telephone you and invite you to view a property You can change your details by clicking on the button on the Birmingham Home Choice website page 9 or contact your local neighbourhood office Access points There are many access points in Birmingham where you can use a computer free of charge or look at the most recent property newsletter These access points include
10. e The Property Shop at the Central Library Chamberlain Square Birmingham B3 3HQ Your local library Neighbourhood offices Community and voluntary groups Wardlow Road Centre Northfield Town Centre Partnership Shop Ask at your local neighbourhood office for details of your nearest access point or you can visit www birminghamhomechoice org uk Using the internet in Birmingham s libraries To use the internet at one of Birmingham s libraries you need to become a member You can do this at any library in Birmingham Simply take one proof of your name and address for example a gas or electricity bill and a member of the library staff will register you there and then They will give your library card and library PIN number so that you can use the library s computer and go on the internet and borrow books DVDs and CDs Computers can be booked free of charge for up to one hour a day CONTACT DETAILS Visit us at www birminghamhomechoice org uk Email enquiry birminghamhomechoice org uk Telephone for enquiries Birmingham City Council 0121 675 5779 Family Housing Association 0121 766 1100 Midland Heart 0345 6020540 SMS text 07800 002 429 Most texts cost around 10p to send IVR telephone 0845 330 3183 Local rates Birmingham Zones A E Districts and Yardley Districts Edgbaston N xi Id Hall Green orthfie and EN Districts BIRMINGHAM HOME CHOICE TERMS Access points There are
11. many public places in Birmingham where customers can access the Birmingham Home Choice property newsletter and in some cases use a computer to access the website www birminghamhomechoice org uk D See User Guide page 34 Assisted bidding If someone is not able to place a bid themselves a friend family member or support worker can bid for them This is called assisted bidding Bidding or making a bid This is the term used when customers express an interest in a particular property No money is involved D See User Guide page 5 Bidding cycle The council advertises all its available properties This is known as the bidding cycle See User Guide page 5 Birmingham Home Choice This is the name of Birmingham s choice based lettings scheme Choice based lettings scheme This is the general name for schemes such as Birmingham Home Choice run by councils and registered social landlords The schemes allow customers to see all the available properties each week and put in a bid for the ones they would like to move to Housing association This is another name for a registered social landlord a not for profit organisation that provides rented accommodation Housing points We give some people on the Housing Register housing points to recognise their housing needs We follow our allocations scheme when we award points so that the process is fair and open Housing Register The name of our
12. TER Birmingham Home Choice 6 You can do this on the LOOK THROUGH Birmingham Home Choice makai ADVERTS website or property newsletter Make sure you bid See pages otherwise we won t know 11 18 19 that you are interested and 21 We base this on your housing points and your SN page BE SHORTLISTED E 23 eligibility Y VIEW THE PROPERTY If you are shortlisted you 5 will be invited to view the gt s property with other applicants The person with the highest DECIDE IF YOU points who wants to live there WANT TO MOVE IN will be offered the property See page 25 GETTING STARTED Check you are registered To use Birmingham Home Choice you need to be registered with Birmingham City Council Family Housing Association or Midland Heart and have a user ID and PIN number The properties you can see will depend on which organisation you are registered with Your registration letter gives you details of which properties you are eligible for You will need to be registered with one of the organisations listed above You can contact Midland Heart and Family Housing Association directly to join their waiting list Alternatively you can complete a Birmingham City Council application form available from your nearest neighbourhood office or from www birminghamhomechoice org uk Check you have got your ID and PIN number Before you start check you have your User ID and personal identification number PIN number handy If you wish you
13. a property may be too small for you even if it has the right number of bedrooms In this case we won t invite you to view it Adapted housing If you have a disability or health problem and think you need adapted housing please contact your neighbourhood office Property symbols These symbols tell you about the property including the location type of house number of bedrooms type of heating and so on The symbols give customers an easy way of seeing what s available and which properties they are eligible for For example some properties are for people aged 55 and over only The symbols are also designed to help customers with language and learning difficulties What the symbol means Symbol lone A Sutton Erdington and Perry Barr districts lone B Ladywood district lone C Hodge Hill and Yardley districts lone D Hall Green and Selly Oak districts 2 lone E Northfield and Edgbaston districts gf CE Age restriction Ha asn aa A Suitable for wheelchair B Suitable for people who cannot use stairs or bath What the symbol means Suitable for people who can climb stairs OR D Suitable for people who can use a bath but not climb stairs Energy efficiency Ais the most energy efficient G is the least energy efficient Symbol for C energy efficiency shown Double glazing Parking Council tax band B C D E E G H Symbol for Council tax band D shown No garden Shared garden Number of
14. d run by residents who are elected by their neighbours They represent tenants and manage a number of services on behalf of the council although Birmingham City Council continues to be the overall landlord of the properties APPLICATION OUERIES If you are a Birmingham City Council customer and you have a guery about your application your points or you wish to advise of about a change in your circumstances including updating your contact details you can contact us using the numbers below Public Telephone Numbers Accessing Needs Team District Telephone Number Ladywood 0121 303 5668 0121 303 4005 Hodge Hill and Yardley Wood 0121 303 1495 0121 303 1559 Hall Green and Selly Oak 0121 303 4005 0121 675 4350 Edgbaston 0121 303 5245 Northfield 0121 464 5607 Erdington Perry Barr and Sutton 0121 303 6520 0121 464 4119 If you are a Midland Heart or Family Customer please contact your Housing Association directly This is important If you do not understand this document then please ask a friend or relative who speaks English to contact your local neighbourhood office or housing team on your behalf We will then arrange for an interpreter to meet with you cia Quai C Ay Jala Cy palsy cyan Ki i Lisa Ami ga calls Gi ga i pag al Oth cage ATL Ji oda GI man ia 2 93 9 ga d ei es jua diii ae e Ai CASAN RS al otal Cpe gl gl apt ue cui Olgvav MoT qa Sega AA ix were qo Al ARTA HAI TA KEB FAY TATO AKA ro
15. d fa Ga 33 em Head Sudjs vifen ai Biar Ay cus Husa aa GR 3 ume ai fed ani at ars aus dz aga ygu addi la fNnd SSS aeree ES Ct wep SI gar Sat bs Ray ISP ie Sie eX Aa 3 ge U AT ug ul glaa ea gold OLHSNd SF ee aye gag aS Pe Ia jau uas us AA eroe LH AU AT 2 yA p pmi gli oD cele Hadii aadan fahmin waxa kuqoran boog yarahan wargadan fadlan waydiiso qof saaxiibkaa ama qaraabadaada ah oo kuhadla afka ingiriisiga inuu kuu waco xafiiska dariska ee kuu dhaw neighbourhood office ama kooxda guryaha asaga oo adiga kumatalaya Markaa kadib waxaan kuu balaminaynaa afceliye turjubaan UNwWOS Feo en n pem e Doe Ud Prat re Ebro a Pavo Ife MIME Lethe AP Lu ZIP EXC E Nagan If you would like this leaflet in large print Braille or audio CD please call 0121 675 5779 Hous 85 HouCom 10 311 08 10 18K
16. ew properties 13 You can review your bids before the end of the cycle see page 14 If you have been shortlisted to view a property a housing officer will contact you to invite you to attend the viewing see page 25 If the property is owned by a housing association they may invite you to an interview instead You can also check the invitation on the My Details screen This will give you the date and time for your viewing If you have not heard from us by the viewing date then you have been unsuccessful Please do not attend the viewing You will not be able to view the property If you want some feedback on why you were not successful see page 26 You can also read our factsheet How to make the best use of your bid on our website www birminghamhomechoice org uk To change your bid online You can change your bid online or through digital TV during the bidding cycle You can do this at any time and there is no penalty for this However you can only place bids on three properties in each cycle If you have placed three bids and wish to bid on another property you will have to withdraw one of your other bids To check your bid online and change it if you want to 1 Follow steps 1 to 4 on pages 8 and 9 2 You are now in the My Details page Here you will see a list of the properties that you are currently bidding on 3 Find the property on the list that you wish to change your bid on and click on withdraw bid
17. hen need to enter again followed by your PIN Then add another followed by the property advert reference number followed by Here s an example Your user ID is 987654 Your Pin number 010164 Property advert reference 123456 Your text message would look like this bid 987654 010164 123456 3 You can bid for up to three properties To add more bids you need to add another and the next property reference number You can place up to three bids in each bidding cycle If the key is not on your telephone keypad check your mobile s symbol options or the instruction booklet Once you ve completed the text send it to 07800 002 429 We will send you a text to confirm we have received your bid within one hour of sending it assuming your mobile phone reception is working If you have not put the word bid at the start of your text it will not be processed and you will not get a reply If your bids are valid you will get a message that lists the property advert references you have bidded on We will send a text listing any invalid advert numbers you have used and any bids you were not eligible for The system used is fully automated so if you have any questions about your bids please call 0121 675 5779 Most mobile texts cost around 10p to send You could save a sample bid in your drafts or archive section of your mobile so that you can just change the property advert numbers the next time you bid You canno
18. home home aes Transforming Housing Housing USER GUIDE www birminghamhomechoice org uk x rit rj BIRMINGHAM SOCIAL HOUSING PARTNERSHIP k EE City Council CONTENTS Welcome How do I find a home Getting started Check you are registered Check that you have got your user ID and PIN Decide how you want to view properties and bid on them Using the internet To start To view and search for properties To place a bid To change your bid online Useful features of the Birmingham Home Choice website Using the property advert newsletter to view properties To download a copy of the property advert newsletter To read the property advert newsletter Using the Interactive Voice Recognition IVR telephone service to place a bid Using interactive digital television to view properties and place a bid 5 o0o0 oo 0 14 15 16 16 Lf 18 19 Using SMS text messaging to place a bid What happens after you have made a bid Shortlisting Inviting you to view the property Viewing the property Turning down a property Getting feedback More useful information about your application How we choose who gets the property Larger properties Adapted housing Property symbols Change of circumstances Change of contact details Access points Using the internet in Birmingham s libraries Contact details Birmingham Zones A E Birmingham Home Choice terms A
19. housing waiting list If you are on our waiting list you will need to take part in Birmingham Home Choice Neighbourhood office Birmingham City Council has a number of neighbourhood offices around the city where you can speak to staff about Birmingham Home Choice as well as other housing and council related gueries You can find your nearest office by calling 0121 303 1111 Registered social landlord This is another name for a housing association a not for profit organisation that provides rented accommodation Registration certificate When you join the Housing Register we write to you with a registration certificate This tells you how many housing points you have and what type of properties you can bid for Shortlist After a property has been advertised for around a week the bidding cycle we draw up a shortlist of up to six applicants We invite these applicants to view the property This is based on your housing needs points See User Guide page 23 Social housing Viewing The name given to homes Customers on the shortlist let by local councils and for a property are invited to registered social landlords visit or view the property See User Guide page 24 Studio accommodation Self contained flat with one main room and kitchen and bathroom The main room is the living room and bedroom in one Tenant Management Organisations TMOs TMOs are independent organisations formed an
20. l you the date and time of viewing Viewing the property Normally you will view the property along with other customers on the shortlist The viewing may take place while the property is being repaired It will be made safe so that you can be shown round the rooms Please make sure that you arrive in good time for your viewing We can t rearrange viewings so if you are late you may lose your opportunity to view the property and we may offer it to someone else Please do not bring family and friends with you to view the property If you do they may be asked to wait outside A housing officer will show you around the property The person who is top of the shortlist will be asked if they want to become the tenant If they do not the housing officer will offer it to the person who is number two on the shortlist and so on If more than one customer with the same number of housing points wants to move into the property we will offer it to the person who has been on the Housing Register the longest If the property is being repaired and you want to accept it we will ask you to sign an acceptance form that day When the repairs are complete we will ask you to come and sign for the tenancy and we will give you the keys to the property Turning down a property Most customers who do not want to accept a property after they have viewed it will not be penalised However this does not apply to some customers who are owed a legal duty to
21. list we will telephone you to ask you which property you would like to view If we can t get hold of you we will write to you and invite you to view the property that you have the highest bidding position for and which has the earliest viewing date e You will not be able to view more than one property You can find out more about how we choose who gets the property on page 29 Inviting you to view the property If you are on a shortlist a housing officer will telephone you to check the details of your housing application are correct and to ask if you want to view the property This means that it is important that we have up to date contact details for you We will give you the date and time of the viewing and ask you to bring proof of identity for you and anyone else in your household who is going to move with you We will tell you which proofs of identity you need to bring along Please remember to bring these documents with you If you are successful at the viewing the landlord will need proof of identity and if you do not have this information the property may be let to the next customer on the shortlist We will also confirm your position on the shortlist If the property you have been shortlisted for is owned by a housing association also known as a registered social landlord they may invite you to an interview before the viewing If we can t reach you by telephone we will write to you on the same day to tel
22. n Factsheet 1 Bidding a looking to find a new home On this site you will find lots of useful tips i information to get you started Alkacakton Sekam ig i Birmingham Home Choice is being launched in stages Birmingham aic 4 mem sara City Council customers will only be able ta use the scheme if they require one bedroom accommodation or sheltered housing For other ANOA customers we will continue to allocate homes in the usual way The scheme will then be launched for other customers at a later date 2 You need to have Adobe Reader on your computer you can download this for free here 3 This week s property advert newsletter will be on the list You can either save or print a copy To read the property advert newsletter You can look at the property advert newsletter at any library or neighbourhood office This lists all the available properties each week Your local library or neighbourhood office has a list of other places across Birmingham where you can view a copy of the property advert newsletter To make a bid you can use the Birmingham Home Choice website page 8 the interactive voice recognition telephone service page 18 interactive digital television page 19 and SMS text messaging page 21 USING THE INTERACTIVE VOICE RECOGNITION IVR TELEPHONE SERVICE TO PLACE A BID The IVR telephone service allows you to use your touch tone telephone to place a bid It is available in English and nine other languages
23. other services Virgin customers To access Birmingham Home Choice press the interactive button on your remote and select either News amp Info or Your Community then chose the option for Looking Local Follow the options through the Midlands and the West Midlands to Birmingham You will then need to choose the option for Other Services Choose the option called Housing Services Birmingham Home Choice is on the menu along with our other services Freeview To access Birmingham Home Choice by Freeview you need to make sure that your telephone line broadband connection is connected to your Freeview box You won t be able to use this service with some older boxes For more information on how to access this please contact Freeview on 08701 111 270 These calls can be charged at up to 8p per minute depending on your telephone provider Mobile phones If your phone can access the internet you can access Looking Local through our mobile site www lookinglocal gov uk digitv cds birmingham Choose the option for Other Services and then Housing Services Birmingham Home Choice is on the menu along with our other services USING SMS TEXT MESSAGING TO PLACE A BID You can place a bid using a mobile phone You will need your user ID PIN number and the property advert reference number to do this 1 Open a new text message on your phone 2 Enter bid at the start of the message then followed by your user ID number You t
24. pplication queries 21 23 23 24 29 26 26 29 29 30 30 30 33 34 34 34 35 36 37 40 WELCOME This user guide will help you to use Birmingham Home Choice and get the home of your choice Birmingham Home Choice is the way for customers to find and rent a home from Birmingham City Council Midland Heart Family Housing Association and some other housing associations in the city The scheme is open to applicants for social housing and existing tenants who want to move HOW DO I FIND A HOME We advertise all of our available homes on the Birmingham Home Choice website or if you don t have access to a website in a property newsletter You can look at the newsletter in libraries neighbourhood offices Citizens Advice Bureaux and other places in Birmingham you can find a list of these in your neighbourhood office or at www birminghamhomechoice org uk e Your local library can help get you started using Birmingham Home Choice and provide internet access e Your local neighbourhood office can give you support and advice about Birmingham Home Choice and your other housing options You can make an appointment with your neighbourhood office by calling 0121 303 1111 You can tell us that you are interested in a property we call this making a bid or bidding We normally advertise properties from Thursday to Tuesday each week we call this the bidding cycle You must be registered with See page REGIS
25. rmation about how to join the How helpful is our d Voluntary Partn l scheme how to bid for properties and how to get supporting using User Guide Lettings Feedback Birmingham Home Choice Symbols Guide LT Soe If you are ready to get started visit our Property Site where you can Application Form a is view what is available this week place bids and manage your account L Access Points Application form B Property Site There is a high demand for social housing in Birmingham We strongly guide advise our customers to consider all of their housing options when Factsheet 1 Bidding d looking to find a new home On this site you will find lots of useful tips information to get you started Allocation Scheme da summary i Birmingham Home Choice is being launched in stages Birmingham em Pm City Council customers will only be able to use the scheme if they require one bedroom accommodation or sheltered housing For other Get 4 ANA customers we will continue to allocate homes in the usual way The ieta scheme will then be launched for other customers at a later date This information will tell you what kinds of customers are successful at bidding on which properties in which areas It will not give any customer details You can use this information to make the best use of your bids by placing bids on properties where people with similar points to you are being successful For more information please see our factsheet How to make the best
26. rmingham Home Choice the new way that the council eis d gt Housing Options and other Registered Social Landlords let their homes Linda L1 gt Lettings Feedback On this site you will find more information about howto join the scheme Feedback u 2 Click on to go to the log in page Back You are here Home gt gt Login 3 In the box for TEER registered users ogos e Housing Options Registered users login here e nte r yo ur user in metan Ingin ID and PIN number Aen is and click the and Resuits PIN ie ih button If you have any problems logging on please refresh the site and try logging on again 4 You are now on the page that tells you the number of housing points you have and the details of any bids that you have made My Details page 5 You can check that we have the right contact details for you by clicking on the t box If you need to change the details please enter the change in the Notes Query text box and click on the button Please do not use this box for submitting enquiries about your application we will not be able to answer any queries submitted in this box To view and search for properties 1 Click on WE to see the properties that are available to choose from Seo A Proporios Your Status fom the Housing Register PonsiBens SABANDC Bedrooms Bedspacos 110 Bedrooms Building Type Show Partner Properties TA All D 0 i2 Include Properties z r
27. screen Full Property Details Your Status from the Housing Register Notes Property Advert Number adress Pastcosi a andiord Tenure Total Number of Bedrooms Bedspaces Fun Property Type Floor Lovet of Property 1 O incenouna Garden amp Transport Near By Rent Approxmate Map Detaled Map Opening Closing Date Heating Type o Accessible Housing Category Adapted Energy Efficiency Council Tax Band Double Glazed Age Restrictions Pets Allowed mt Points Bands OMUBANDO Bedrooms Bedspaces e 61 52 Details 05 01 2010 07 01 2010 GAS CENTRAL HEATING N N N Parking Space 5 To help you make your selection information about the area is available on the up my street website There is a link to this on the left of the screen There is also a map to give you an idea of where the property is To place a bid 1 Log in using the instructions 1 to 4 on page 8 2 Click on the button 3 If you know the advert reference number of the property you are looking for enter it in the box labelled Search By Advert and click on the button 4 Alternatively you can browse the available properties using the previous instructions on pages 9 and 10 5 Once you have found a property you would like to bid on click on the FULL PROPERTY INFO button on the right hand side of your screen 6 Further information about properties and the area they are in is available from the
28. t change your bid via text If you need to change it you can withdraw your bid online see page 14 WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU HAVE MADE A BID You can place your bid for properties at any time within each bidding cycle You can make three bids within each bidding cycle but you will only be able to view one property in each bidding cycle Shortlisting Once the bidding cycle has closed we will look at all the bids and rank them in order People who have the most housing points and are eligible will be at the top of the list and people with the fewest housing points or who are not eligible will be at the bottom It is important to remember that your final bid position is not necesarily your final position on our shortlist We will normally shortlist three people however at times we may shortlist up to six and ask them to view the property We shortlist you for the property that represents your best bid position at that time Sometimes the shortlisting position will be different from the bid position we will let you know if this is the case when we contact you When you have been shortlisted you will not be able to bid for another property until we know who is going to accept the property you will be viewing Sometimes you will be among the top applicants for more than one property e f this happens we will invite you to view the property where you are highest on the shortlist If you are at the top of more than one short
29. up my street website There is a link for this on the Full Property Details page 7 Look at all the information about the property to make sure it is Suitable for you Click on the button Mie eee Number 1058696 Address Postcode 34 BROMFIELD CLOSE BIRMINGHAM B65HT Area 2 ZoneB View Previous Bid Results Show all in last month Closing Date Withdraw Bid TotalBids Bid Position View Date 20 07 2010 Withdraw Bid 14 14n4 27 07 2010 Advert No 1300464 JUBILEE COURT 178 ARDEN ROAD SALTLEYS MGHAM 9 Above your bid is a green have placed your bid iud bar telling you that you 10 Click on to continue browsing and bidding on properties Remember you can place up to three bids each cycle 11 Once you have placed your bid check your contact details are correct so we can phone you You can do this by clicking on the button 12 If you have finished bidding click on Log out at the top of the screen to end your session Tire Sc graphical sitemap site accessibility Yomeconnection Birmingham wages 5 Anomus 9 contact Us home CHOICE ee kav Back You are here Home List Property 6x PK You are logged in as Marie test BHC Priority Applicant Status Registered Bedsize Bedspaces 1 0 Date of birth 21 12 1968 Info Household Details Household Details When you are finished using this site you mustlog out Kemarin vi
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