GreaterNorwich

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have a serious medical problem or disability that is being made worse by mycurrent housing?

You will need to fill in a medical self-assessment form. This can be obtained from any of the three councils. The medical self-assessment guidance leaflet that is provided with the form will provide more information on how medical assessments work and how to fill out the form.

Please be aware that if your medical problem or disability is not serious and enduring and/or is not directly affected by your present housing and/or would not improve if rehoused, then you will not be given any medical priority. What if my contact details change?

Why if my contact details change?

It is very important that you can be contacted quickly. If the contact you supplied when youregistered with the scheme is no longer up to date then you must let the particular scheme council know. If you successfully apply for a property and cannot be contacted you will lose that property.

The system won’t let me apply for certain properties – why?

You can only apply for properties for which you meet the qualifying criteria. If you try and apply for properties where you do not meet the qualifying criteria the system will not let you apply. When you were sent the letter with your banding and scheme login details the letter also stated the size of properties that you qualify to apply for. This was based on an assessment of the size of property that you need.

How long do I have to bid for a property?

When the properties are advertised they clearly state the deadline for people to apply. That will always be one week from when the properties are advertised.

If I bid earlier in the week am I more likely to get the property?

No – applying earlier will no make difference. Everyone has one week to bid for the properties.

Do I have to bid for the properties every week?

No- it is up to you when and which properties you bid for. You should only bid for the properties that you genuinely want.

Will I be able to view a property before I apply for it?

No – you will only be able to view a property once you have bid successfully for it. However, the properties when advertised will show all the information you need to know, including a

photograph, so you can decide whether to apply for it.

Will I be able to view a property before I decide whether to accept the offer?

Yes – once you have bid successfully for a property a viewing will be arranged. You will then have up to two days to decide whether to accept the offer of the property. If you refuse you will not be penalized and you can continue bidding for properties.

What if I disagree with a decision etc?

An applicant has the legal right to ask for a review of certain decisions made regarding theirapplication for re-housing. These are:

• if the applicant has not been given preference under the allocations scheme due tounacceptable behaviour serious enough to make them unsuitable to be a tenant of theauthority; or

• any decision about the facts of the applicant’s case which has been taken into account in

considering whether to make an allocation to them. (This would include the banding given toan applicant)

A request for a review of a decision can be made by contacting the particular council’s Home Options Team. They will then send you a form to fill out and return. The request should be made within 21 days of the applicant receiving notification of the decision. The request for a review will  be considered by the particular council’s HOMEOPTIONS Assessment Panel. Reviews will be considered within 28 days of the request being received and the applicant will receive a written response outlining the result of the review within a further 14 days. An applicant does not have the right to ask for a review of a decision reached by an earlier review.

The system says my password (date of birth) is incorrect – why is this?

You must use the date of birth of the primary applicant when you originally applied to join theparticular housing register.