Finding somewhere to live

By ‘bid’ we simply mean to apply for a property by making an 'expression of interest'. We advertise council and housing association properties online each week.

Adverts show:

• the property area
• property type
• number of bedrooms
• who can bid

You can bid for the property of your choice. Some applicants are given priority because they need to move urgently – bidding for certain properties may be restricted to them.

How to bid

You can read adverts and make an expression of interest for properties by logging in to our council housing services.

Council housing services online

The bidding cycle

The bidding cycle starts on a Thursday morning and ends at midnight on the following Monday. It makes no difference when in the cycle you place your bid as bids are ranked according to priority.

You can check your position in the queue and change your bids at any time before midnight on the Monday. You can only bid for up to 2 properties each week.

Some weeks there will be no properties for you to bid on. This could be because:

• there are no properties with the right number of bedrooms for your application type
• your application is suspended as you have been shortlisted for another property
• your application has been cancelled as you no longer qualify

The chance of your bid succeeding

The chance of your bid succeeding depends on a number of factors. You may have to wait many years for a bid to be successful. When you bid for a property:

• the system will tell you your current position in the queue of bidders for that property
• your position may change as other people bid for the same property after you

We publish tables showing:

• bids for properties that have been advertised
• how long the successful bidders had been on the waiting list

You can see details of all the bids you have placed and your final queue position by logging in to our council housing services online and looking at your historic bids.