Allocation Procedure

All vacancies available to the Council are allocated according to the Policy. When a property becomes available the details are entered onto Mole Valley Home Choice.  These vacancies are advertised on the Home Choice web-site, on our telephone information line, at the Leatherhead Help Shop, at the offices at Pippbrook, through newsletters to local Citizens Advice Bureaux Social Services departments, Community Mental Health Teams and other advisory/support services, from early on a Friday until midnight on the following Wednesday.  This is called the bidding cycle.

Throughout the bidding cycle all applicants are able to place and withdraw bids as they see fit.  Any applicant who is unable to participate using any of the above means, may call and speak to one of the housing register team who can place bids on their behalf or arrange for an autobid on their application.

At the end of the bidding cycle officers will look at the list of bids generated by the Home Choice system and usually make an offer of nomination to the applicant with the highest points on that list.

It is important to remember that the person with the highest points may not always be made the offer of nomination as we will have to have regard to our lettings plan which is set out below.

Lettings Plan

The Council has drawn up a lettings plan to be used as a guide, to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of property allocation between the different categories of applicants on The Housing Register.

The lettings plan will be updated annually to reflect current issues and needs. The Plan for 2008/09 is shown below:

Exceptions

There may be situations where it will not be appropriate to offer a property to the applicant with the highest points. Examples of these exceptions may be where:

• The applicant at the top of the list does not yet have sufficient support to live independently
• The applicant at the top of the list is not suitable or eligible for the vacancy
• The allocation of the property would be likely to result in serious estate management difficulties
• A mix of applicants is required to establish a balanced community
• A vacancy is subject to a Local Lettings Plan

Local lettings plan

For new estates, especially in rural areas the Council needs to ensure a mixed and balanced community and therefore reserves the right to allocate properties on new estates of 10 properties or more outside of the procedures set out above.