Southampton City Council fact sheet
How does Homebid work?
Every two weeks Housing Allocations produces the Homebid Magazine and updates the Homebid website, showing adverts for all the available council and housing association homes at that time. You can look at the adverts and decide if you want to bid for any properties. Bidding is the way you tell the council that you are interested in a property.
Homebid is available to everyone on the councils’s Housing List. This includes: Existing tenants who would like to transfer to a new home, Housing register applicants (applicants on the waiting list) and Homeseekers (people who have been accepted by the Council as homeless).
In each edition of the Homebid Magazine or on the Homebid website you can see how homes in the last edition were let by turning to the results page. You can also see how many points the successful bidder had.
Keep bidding if you have not heard anything for us. We will only contact you when your bids are successful! You should be able to find all the information you need in the Homebid User Guide, but if you would like to find out about Homebid, or how to use Homebid Magazine to bid for a new home, you can contact Southampton City Council.
Who can use this service?
Homebid is available to everyone on Southampton City Councils Housing List. Once registered and accepted on the Houisng List you will be sent a welcome pack, including how many points you have and a unique Homebid number.
Ways to bid
You can see available properties on the Homebid website, or pick up a copy of the free Homebid Magazine. This is available at various council reception points, including libraries and housing offices.
If you find a property that you want to move to, bids must be submitted before the end of the bidding cycle by using the following options: website, Bidding telephone number: 0845 0708210, Coupon and text messaging: 0778 1472726.
How do I get onto the Homebid scheme?
You will automatically be a member of Homebid if you are accepted by SCC for re-housing. We will assess your case and if you accept and if we accept you onto the housing list we will:
• write to you to give you a unique Homebid number that enables you to bid for properties
• tell you the date from which you qualify for the Housing List
• tell you how many points you have
• tell you the size and type of the properties you are able to apply for.
How will I bid for properties?
By coupon
We will send blank coupons direct to you with your registration pack. Each bid coupon will have your name and a unique Homebid number printed on it. This is your individual number so do not give your coupons to anyone else.
On the web
Go to homebid and log on with your unique Homebid number and date of birth.
By telephone
Call 0845 0708210 and follow the instructions.
By text
Send message to 077 8147 2726
How many bids can I make?
You will be able to ‘bid’ for up to three properties in each edition of the fortnightly Homebid Magazine.
The following fortnight you will be able to bid for another three properties.
Keep bidding if you have not heard anything from us. We will only contact you when your bids are successful.
How long will I get to submit my bids?
We publish Homebid Magazine every other Thursday / Friday. All bidding lines (which include internet, phone, text and coupon) open at midday (12pm) every other Thursday.
Your bids must reach us by 2pm the following Wednesday.
If you are bidding with a coupon, make sure you allow enough time for it to reach us and post it on the Monday.
If I make my bids as soon as the properties are advertised will I be more likely to be allocated a property?
No. We do not prioritise bids on a first come first served basis. Homebid puts all of the bids for each property in priority order with the highest number of points first.
We then produce a list of eligible members for each property. In most cases the SCC Allocations team will invite the applicant at the top of the list (in terms of points) to view the property.
If two or more people have the same number of points, the person with the earliest eligibility date will be put first.
How will I know if my bid has been successful?
We will contact you if you come top of the shortlist usually within a week of the closing date.
You will also be able to get information on if your bid has been successful from the Homebid website, or you can contact the Allocations Advice Line.
To find out how many homes were let, the results page in each edition of the Homebid magazine will tell you. You can also see how many points the successful bidder had.
If I have been offered a property, can I continue to bid for other properties?
No. If you bid successfully on a property and have received an offer for it, you cannot bid on other properties until you have made a decision.
If you decide to reject the first property, then you will be able to bid again. If you do try to bid while you are under offer, your bids will be considered ineligible.
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Last updated: 12 October 2007