Thurrock Council is introducing a new way of letting its homes. Called Thurrock Choice Homes, the aim is to provide people on the Housing Register with greater choice.

Instead of council officers allocating you a property directly, you can look through a list of available homes, and 'bid' (apply) for the home of your choice.

Unfortunately, it does not mean there are more properties available, or that the process will be quicker, but it does give you more choice over where you live and what kind of property you can live in. We hope that you find the new system easy to use, and we will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Inform

If your name is on Thurrock Council's Housing Register you will be sent a letter informing you:

your new Thurrock Choice Homes Registration number
which priority band your application has been placed in
your registration date
your bedroom need

Choose

When a property becomes empty it is advertised in the Thurrock Gazette property section every week and on:

www.thurrockchoicehomes.org.uk

Remember that internet access is free at Thurrock's public libraries. The Thurrock Gazette is delivered to most homes in the borough or you can pick up a copy of the newspaper at your local area housing office or library.

Each advert will include photographs of the properties available and details such as the number of bedrooms, type of heating, floor level and whether there is a lift. The address is also given, so you can bid for properties in the area you want to live.

As long as you are on the Housing Register, you will be able to choose from homes that suit the size of your family. Not all properties are open to bids from everybody. For example, some properties are more suitable for those over 55. The weekly adverts and the website will give more details about this.

The property adverts may include labels to indicate the groups of customers that can apply for the property. The following labels indicate the priority bands.

Thurrock Choice Homes - Bands

Gold Band

Gold Band includes people that the council has to rehouse very urgently.
Silver Band

Silver Band includes people the law says the council must give "reasonable preference" (priority) - statutory overcrowded and homeless people are given high priority for a new home, for example.
Bronze Band

Bronze Band includes people with a general need to move.

Bid

If you see a property you like, and it suits the size of your family, you can bid for it - meaning you can apply to live in it (there is no cash involved). You can do this by:

calling the 24 hour automated Thurrock Choice Homes bidding line on 0845 2700 558
looking on the internet at www.thurrockchoicehomes.org.uk
using a kiosk at one of the local area offices
texting 0778 1486526

The bidding line is offered in a range of languages and the council's website offers the same service as well as British Sign Language. Bidding is simple. You just need to give:

your Thurrock Choice Homes Registration number
your date of birth
the Reference number of the property (you will find this next to the picture of the property in the magazine or on the website)

Whichever way you bid (except text), our system will tell you how many other people have applied for the same property. This may bid help you decide whether to change your bid to a different property.

You can make up to two bids every week. It does not matter what day you make your bid because places are not allocated on a first come first served basis.

If you need help choosing a property and making a bid, you can contact your local area office or Thurrock Choice Homes advice line on 01375 652880.

You will not be able to bid if:

you are not registered on the Housing Register
you have been deferred from the Housing Register for any reason, such as you owe rent to us or we are waiting for more information to support your application.

Please check with your local area office if you think your application may be deferred. For more information on whether you are able to go on the list, or the size of property you are entitled to, as well as restrictions, please see our leaflet Your Questions Answered.

Move In

Following the weekly bid closing date, the council's computer produces a list of everyone who has replied. The customer in the highest band, and who has been in that band the longest, will be offered the property. Offers are not made on a first come, first served basis. The offer depends on your housing need. Read our leaflet Your Questions Answered for more information to find out how we work out your housing need.

Once you have been offered a property, you can go and see it with a member of the council's housing staff. If it is suitable and you would like to move in, it will be arranged as soon as possible. If it is not suitable or for some reason you do not want to move there, then it will be offered to the second applicant on the list, and so on.

Sometimes the council may arrange for several customers to view a property at once to ensure it is let quickly. If you need advice, you can talk to staff at the local area office at the time of viewing.