SEARCH Moves - Choice Based Letting

Elmbridge Borough Council now operates a Choice Based Lettings banding scheme called SEARCH Moves. |Five organisations within North Surrey have joined together to form a partnership. The partners are Spelthorne Borough Council, Elmbridge Borough Council, Runnymede Borough Council, A2Dominion Housing Group and Elmbridge Housing Trust.

Choice based lettings (CBL) is a government initiative that has been developed to give housing applicants more choice about where they want to live. The scheme is a fairer and simpler way of letting homes.

The SEARCH Moves scheme will enable eligible applicants present on the housing register to "bid" (expression of interest) for vacant social housing properties within the Elmbridge area.

The Council will no longer contact applicants to advise that they have been nominated to a particular property instead these will be advertised via the |SEARCH Moves website

The properties will also be advertised in a "Free sheet" print form. There will also be a percentage of properties located within the Spelthorne and Runnymede areas that will be offered across the council borough boundaries which will give further choice to where applicants may choose to live.

When an applicant joins the Elmbridge Borough Council Housing Register their individual housing circumstances will be assessed in relation to their housing need and awarded a Banding criteria. There are five bands ranging from A - E , A being the highest priority. Within each band there is a priority order. For Band A priority is based on the date the application was given the banding award. Bands B - E are based on the registration date of the application.

|Further information about How to Join the Elmbridge Borough Council Housing Register

January 2012 - Important changes that home-seekers should be aware of

The Government has made some significant changes to affordable housing that home-seekers should be aware of. From January 2012, some homes will be let at higher rents (up to 80% of private market rents), at what is called an "Affordable Rent" and some homes will be let on a fixed-term tenancy (for example, five years). As a result, changes are being made to the way that properties are advertised through the SEARCH Moves choice-based lettings scheme to clearly identify which properties are to be let at an Affordable Rent and which are to be offered on fixed-tem tenancies. More information on these changes, in the form of answers to some |frequently asked questions, is available.

All existing applicants registered on the Housing Register prior to January 2009 have been contacted and their applications re-assessed under the new banding criteria.

Please click on each of the Bands A, B, C & E above to establish the various factors that make up each Bands assessment. Applicants that fall into banding's A, B, C or E but do not have a local connection with Spelthorne Borough Council, Elmbridge Borough Council or Runnymede Borough Council will be placed in Band D.

For information on the SEARCH Moves Common Allocations Policy for the North Surrey Choice Based Lettings Scheme please see the following document: |SEARCH Moves Common Allocations Policy

Local connection

Local connection will be awarded to applicants that meet the following criteria

• An applicant currently lives in Spelthorne, Elmbridge or Runnymede and has done so for at least six months out of the last twelve months or three years out of the last five.
• An applicant has lived for five years or more continuously within Spelthorne, Elmbridge or Runnymede areas.
• An applicant has immediate family (mother/father/brother/sister/son/daughter) who are currently living in Spelthorne, Elmbridge or Runnymede and have done so for at least five years or more.
• An applicant has a permanent job in Spelthorne, Elmbridge or Runnymede.

Sufficient evidence must be provided by an applicant before local connection can be considered and will only be eligible for properties in the Borough/s where a local connection has been established.

How to Bid

There are four ways in which an applicant can bid for a property.

These are:-
1) Placing a "bid" via the internet
2) Placing a "bid" via Text Message
3) Placing a "bid" via Telephone
4) Placing a "bid" via Coupon

Please click on the following link for more detailed information on |how to bid via each route.

If you need help to make a "bid", you can ask a friend, family member or support worker to place a bid on your behalf. Please contact the Housing Allocations Team if you need help placing a bid or advice about the process.

When an applicant makes a bid for a property this is an expression of interest for the property and it does not entail any money transactions.

Available Properties will be advertised fortnightly and all bids must be placed before 12 noon on the closing date shown on the website and on the Freesheets. Any bids placed after 12 noon on the closing date will not be considered.| Further information in relation to how the SEARCH Moves Choice Based Lettings Scheme works

|If you would like to find out when each bidding cycle begins and ends please see the following document.

Which Properties Can I Bid For

All properties that become available will be advertised on the |SEARCH Moves website, details can also be obtained as a printed "Free sheet" copy. The properties will be listed under each local authority partner and will outline who can bid for the property, the number of bedrooms, any age restrictions, the number of people who can live in the property, if the property is adapted and suitable for applicants with mobility concerns etc. |Further detailed information.

A |key to the symbols used in each property advert is available.

Feedback

After a bidding cycle has closed (12 noon on the closing date shown on the website and on the Free sheets) all applicants that have made a bid on a property will be reviewed in order of their housing priority Banding and if successful will be contacted by the landlord to view property etc. When a property is let, |feedback will be provided to highlight how many bids were made against each property and the status of the successful member who bid for the property ie Priority Band, Priority Date etc.

User Guide

All applicants present on the Elmbridge Borough Council Housing Register will be issued a |SEARCH Moves User Guide - which will help applicants to utilise the scheme.