How to bid on properties and manage your account

We're introducing a new way for you to search for a home online with Johnnie Johnson Housing. We hope you can find everything you need to know about using the service through our frequently asked questions below.  

What is Choice Based Lettings?

From 30th June 2021, Johnnie Johnson Housing (JJH) will operate a Choice Based Lettings (CBL) scheme to allocate the majority of its available homes to rent. The scheme allows you to choose the properties you are interested in, rather than Johnnie Johnson Housing deciding what property to offer you.

In other words, CBL aims to help you take a greater role in choosing where you would like to live.  Available properties are advertised here on the website and you can ‘bid’ on (express an interest in) advertised homes that you are eligible for and would like to call ‘home’.

An advertising cycle lasts for a minimum of 7 days and the end date is displayed on the advert. At the end of an advertising cycle, all bids are shortlisted in line with our Allocations Policy & Procedures. 

What is a ‘bid’?

Placing a ‘bid’ simply means expressing an interest in a property. There is no financial commitment involved in placing a bid on a property. You can view all available properties on the website without joining the Housing Register by clicking on the PROPERTIES button on the Home Page of the website, but you can only ‘bid’ if you are on the Housing Register, logged in to your account and your housing application is ‘active’ (this also applies to existing JJH residents wishing to transfer).

How will I know if my account is active?

After you submit a housing application, we will let you know when it is made active, what housing need band you have been placed in and the size of property you are eligible for.

How do I place a bid?

Log in to your account. You will be presented with your dashboard which displays properties that you are eligible to bid on, any open bids you have placed and any unread messages or actions:

By clicking on the ‘suitable properties’ button, the properties that you are eligible to bid on will be displayed. Click anywhere on the advert to view full details about the property.

You will be asked to confirm your bid and, once confirmed, the system will tell you that your bid has been placed successfully:

*There is an option for you to mark a property as your ‘preferred property’ so that in the situation where you are the top bidder on more than one property, you will be considered for your preferred home.

How many properties can I bid for?

You can have a maximum of 3 open bids at any one time. However, if we have made you an offer of a property you will no longer be permitted to place bids and any previous bids for other properties will not be considered, pending the signing of the tenancy.

Does it matter when I bid?

No. You can bid at any time within each bidding cycle. The time at which the bid is received in each cycle has no effect on the shortlisting process. However, bids will not be accepted after the bidding cycle has closed (the date and time that the bidding cycle ends is shown on the advert).

What if I log in to my account and there are no properties showing for me to bid on?

If no suitable properties are displayed on your dashboard, this means that there are no properties that meet your needs currently available. It is worth checking back regularly as new properties are added daily, Monday - Friday. Alternatively, why not register for weekly property alerts? Click here to find out how.

How can I see all properties available, not just those that I am eligible to bid on?

The system will automatically only display properties that you are eligible to bid on. To see all properties being advertised, click on ‘show filters’ to open the search function:

Search filters will then be displayed and you can select preferences in order to refine your search; click  APPLY FILTERS  to display properties:

How do I register for property alerts?

Registering for property alerts couldn’t be easier!

1. Login to your account

You should see a banner asking if you would like to register for property alerts. It looks like this:

(*if you don't see the banner, scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'View My Alerts')

2. Click YES PLEASE on the banner

3. Tick the box next to Property Alerts and enter your preferences in the relevant fields on the form. (The preferences are optional but you can use them to filter the types of properties we tell you about).

4. Click the green SAVE button at the bottom of the page and you’re all set!

You will receive a weekly email containing details of any properties that are being advertised at the point the email is sent, and that match the criteria you have specified. If no properties match your criteria then you won’t get an email.

Emails will be sent to the email address you used to set up your account.

If you want to change your preferences or stop the alerts you can do this by going to ‘View My Alerts’ at the bottom of your My Account page.

Remember, you can still view all properties from the main site and any properties that you are eligible for will be displayed in your account.

I want to place a bid but can’t see the ‘apply’ button on the advert

If you are not eligible to bid on a property, the apply button will not be displayed. The reason you are not eligible will be shown by hovering over the button on the advert.

Can I change my mind once I have placed a bid?

Yes. You can withdraw your bid by clicking on ‘my bids’ from within your account and then selecting  WITHDRAW  on the property advert:

You will be asked to confirm that you wish to withdraw your bid and the system will then tell you that your bid has been withdrawn successfully. *Once the bidding cycle has closed, your final bid position will be recorded and you will not be able to withdraw your bid.

What determines my position in a bid queue?

Johnnie Johnson Housing uses a Banding system to assess a person's level of housing need. You will have been advised which housing need Band you have been awarded when you completed your housing registration. This Band reflects how urgently you need to move and is used, together with other factors, to determine your position on a shortlist. You can find more information on how we prioritise applicants here.

What happens at the end of the bidding cycle?

We will check the application details of the person with the highest priority on the shortlist to ensure they match the details on the advert and are eligible for the property. We will also verify that your circumstances haven’t changed and that you are in the correct band. If there is any reason why the highest bidder would not be eligible for the property we will move onto the next person on the list and so on.

How will I know if I’ve been successful with my bid?

Not everyone on a shortlist will be invited to view the property. We will contact the person at the top of the shortlist first and work through the list in priority order; so if someone above you on the shortlist accepts the property, you may not be contacted.

It is important that if you are invited to view a property, that you do so within the time stated or it will be counted as a refusal unless previously agreed otherwise. We will contact you by phone and/or email, so keep an eye out for messages. Where multiple viewing arrangements are deemed appropriate, applicants will be notified of their place on the shortlist.

If the bid you placed on a property was not successful you will not be contacted as it is not possible to contact everyone who registered an interest. We recommend that you check the My Bids page of your account on the website where you will be able to view your final queue position.

A property that I bid on is no longer available, why?

Occasionally, unforeseen circumstances arise whereby a property advertised via CBL is subsequently withdrawn during a bidding cycle. This might be because the property is required for an emergency management letting or where a resident withdraws their notice. We try to keep these instances to an absolute minimum and any applicants who have already placed bids on the property will be advised.

How will I find out about which properties have been let?

The results of each bidding cycle will be published on the website, so you can seethe banding and waiting time of the successful applicant and get an indication of how long you may have to wait for a particular locality/property type. No personal information about the applicant will be shown.

Offers of Accommodation

Before offering a tenancy, we will invite you to view the property and carry out a pre-tenancy interview. Checks will also be carried out for evidence of debt related to a tenancy, evidence of anti-social behaviour or any other breach of tenancy.

All provisional offers will be made verbally in the first instance and then in writing. The written offer will contain details of the rent payable and other important information.

If you don’t respond to a provisional offer within 48 hours (unless previously agreed), then this will qualify as a refusal of the offer and the next person in line for the property will be considered for the vacancy.

Can I refuse an offer of a property that I have placed a bid on?

In order to ensure the efficient allocation of housing to those who need it most, JJH restricts the number of refusals an applicant can reasonably make before they lose their priority banding or they are removed from the housing register. This is to prevent inappropriate or speculative bids from being made which could affect other applicants in housing need and extend the time a property is empty.

• Any Band 1 or 2 applicant who places a bid and, when offered the accommodation, unreasonably refuses one legitimate offer will lose their Band1 or 2 status and will be moved to the relevant lower banding and their effective date will also move to the date the last suitable offer was received but refused. They will not be eligible to apply again for Band 1 or 2 status for 12 months
• All other applicants (Bands 3-5) who refuse three reasonable offers in any rolling 12 month period will have their application cancelled and will not be able to re-apply for 12 months unless there has been a material change in their circumstances

 

What if I have further questions?

Check out the other information pages on this site or visit the links at the top of this page. If you still can't find what you're looking for, you can get in touch with us directly from your online account. It couldn't be easier - simply log in, go to 'Actions' and click 'Send us a message'.