Homeline will:

• let you see how many homes are available by advertising council homes and some homes owned by housing associations and private landlords in the Stoke-on-Trent area;
• let you have more choice and control over where you would like to live;
• put you in a housing band that meets your housing needs;
• let you show us what homes you would like to live in by letting you place bids (each week you can bid on up to three homes that you are suitable for);
• let you see how many people placed a bid on each home, what band they were in and how long they waited, by giving you feedback on homes after they have been let;
• give you feedback based on the ‘bids’ that you have made; and
• tell you your other housing options if you find that you are bidding for homes but are unlikely to be successful.
The Homeline Scheme has five steps for you to follow:

Step 1 - Membership

You are already a member of the Homeline scheme if:
• you are a council tenant who is on the ‘transfer list’ or
• you are on the council’s housing register.
Not everyone can go on the housing register.
If you need more information about this please ring Stoke on Call on 01782 232126.

Step 2 - Registration

Once you have applied and been accepted onto the housing register, we will:
• give you a reference number;
• tell you know what band you have been put into; and
• tell you the priority date that you have been given.
Please remember
You must let us know about any changes in your housing situation or medical needs, as it could mean that you may need to change band or change the property type that you are suitable for. You can let us know by ringing Stoke on Call on 01782 232126.

Step 3 - Choosing

Homes that are available are advertised on the Homeline website and freesheet.
The adverts give you information about each home. You can pick up a free copy of the Homeline freesheet from a number of places, such as your nearest Local Centre. To look at homes on the website please visit stoke.gov.uk/Homeline. You can bid on up to three homes each week.
You can bid in five ways.
• By visiting our website at stoke.gov.uk/ You will logon using your reference number and date of birth.
• By phoning Stoke on Call on 01782 232126
• By text on 07781 472 726
• By e-mailing hcp.Homeline@stoke.gov.uk
• By visiting us. Call into the Housing Advice Centre or any Local Centre.
Homeline is available every Tuesday and you must place your bids by midnight on the following Sunday.

Step 4 - The Offer

Homeline will put the bids received for each home advertised into priority order and produce a bid list for each property. We will then let homes using the bid list.

We may need to do more checks on your housing-register application to make sure that you are suitable for any property that we offer you.

If your name is at the top of the bid list, we will invite you to view the home. If you refuse, we will invite the next person down from you on the bid list to view the home. We will tell you if we are going to take any action against you because you have refused a home that you have chosen.

If you are at the top of more than one bid list, we will decide which home to offer you and we will offer the other homes to other people.

We may invite more than one person to view a home at the same time but we will always offer the home first to the person with the highest priority who comes to the viewing. If this person refuses, we will then offer it to the second person with the highest priority and so on until the property is let.

If we invite you to view a home and you do not want to see it, you must let us know.

Step 5 - Feedback

Feedback information on homes will be available on the website once they have been let.
The feedback tells you how many people bid for each
property, as well as the band and priority date of the successful bidder. This helps you to see waiting times for homes.

If you have come top of a bid list we will contact you within one week of the bid closing. Please remember that some homes are advertised before they are ready to be lived in. This means that you may have to wait for a while before you view the home and then move in.

If we offer you a home, we will not offer you other homes until you decide to accept or refuse the offer.

If you have come top of a bid list but refuse the home, we will invite the person who is next down on the list from you to view the home.

We cannot contact you to let you know when your bids have been unsuccessful, but feedback is available on the website.

If you have any questions about how the Homeline scheme works or about bidding for properties, please ring Stoke on Call on 01782 232126.