Homes for rent

Bidding for a property

Devon Home Choice (DHC):

• Once you have received your banding, you will be able to bid on three properties in each bidding cycle. The bidding cycle starts at 12.00am each Wednesday and finishes at 11.59pm on the following Monday.
• You can set a property alert for properties you may be interested in once they have been advertised; you will need you application number and password to do this.

For useful videos on how DHC works, click here.

Cornwall Homechoice (CHC):

• As with DHC, once you have received your banding you will be able to bid on a property. Due to high demand for social housing in Cornwall you will only be able to bid on one property in each bidding cycle. The bidding cycle starts each Wednesday at 12.00am and finishes at 11.59pm the following Monday.

It is important that you look at the advert to make sure you and your household are suitable for the property you have bid on e.g. the property is in the area that you want to live and do you fit the criteria? There may also be a local connection requirement for the property.

What does a local connection mean?

At planning stage, the local authority stipulates certain criteria known as section 106 (local connection). The local connection criteria can vary but will be clearly set out in the advert. Please see the following list for examples:   

• You must have lived in the area for a set amount of time e.g. one year or three years prior to being allocated the property
• You have previously lived in the area for a continuous period of five years
• You have a permanent job in the area
• Your immediate family have lived in the area for three or more years. Immediate family include mother, father, sister, brother and in some circumstances grandparents.

You will also be expected to have one month's rent in advance if you are the successful bidder.

Allocation of a property

Once the bidding has closed you will be able to see your position on the shortlist for the property you have bid on. The shortlist is not based on the time and date you bid for the property, your position on the shortlist will be determined by:

• Your banding
• How long you have been on either DHC or CHC
• The criteria for the property.

If you are top of the shortlist, we will contact you to complete our verification process and go through your household details and requirements. You will then be invited for a viewing and if you want to accept the property, we will then carry out an affordability assessment to make sure you can sustain your tenancy and that the property is suitable for your needs. You will then be offered the property and we will agree with you a date your tenancy with Westward will start.

It is important to ensure that you use your bids wisely as you may be suspended from bidding if you refuse several suitable properties.

Reasons why Westward may refuse you a property

In accordance with our Allocations policy, the following are reasons why we may not offer you a Westward property:

• Applicants who have a proven record of breach of their tenancy agreement, this can include anti-social behaviour (ASB) and rent arrears but is not limited to these
• Criminal convictions may result in a refusal. Applicants who have been convicted of a serious criminal offence or have been guilty of ASB or other unacceptable behaviours including a history of nuisance or annoyance to neighbours in the past five years. Unacceptable behaviour can include damage or neglect of a property
• Proven evidence that the applicant has committed or threatened acts of physical violence, harassment or hate related abuse to Westward colleagues or other Westward residents within the past five years
• The applicant does not provide the financial inclusion team with requested evidence to confirm their income and that they can afford to pay the rent.

For further reasons why an applicant may be refused a property please see our Allocations policy.