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Homesearch

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What is Homesearch?

Maidstone Housing Trust has adopted this Scheme for all our properties available to let because Homesearch gives all applicants the opportunity to be more involved in the letting process as they are able to choose their home and where they live. Applicants will no longer have to rely on Maidstone Housing Trust selecting a home for them.

This will have an impact on the wider community as tenants have the right to chose to live in their desired area where they want to be part of the community. We have a set of Service Standards for Homesearch.

Does Homesearch provide more properties?

No, the scheme will not provide more homes but it will provide a more transparent system giving information about what properties MHT have available to let for our tenants.

Who is eligible?

If you are a Maidstone Housing Trust tenant you must have a transfer application registered with us. If you do not have a Transfer Application registered with us, contact a member of the Homesearch team and an application pack will be sent out to you. If you or a member of your family have a medical condition which is directly affected by your housing situation, please complete the Assessment of Housing Priority on Medical Grounds which is included in the application pack.

You are eligible for Homesearch if:

• You are an Assured tenant of Maidstone Housing Trust and have been resident in your current property for at least two years or
• You are an Assured tenant and are a family living in a property without a garden and wish to be considered for a transfer to an alternative property (i.e. maisonette or house) and you have lived in the property for a period of not less than one year with at least one child under the age of fifteen or
• You are an Assured Tenant of Maidstone Housing Trust and your current home has become unsuitable for your needs (e.g. on medical grounds, under-occupation). In the case of medical unsuitability, all applications will be assessed by our independent medical advisors. In some cases, further support may be sought following a visit from an Occupational Therapist

What happens if I have rent arrears?

All Maidstone Housing Trust tenants who meet the above criteria will not be eligible to apply for a transfer unless the rent account is clear. If you are in arrears when your Transfer Application is received, you will not be eligible to register for a transfer and your application (and any other documents included) will be returned to you and we will send you a letter stating the reason for their return.

As a Trust tenant, how will Homesearch affect my transfer application?

We operate a points-based system and the points awarded are what applicants use to ‘bid’ for advertised properties. Please refer to our Guide to Points leaflet for details on how the points are assessed and awarded.

I am not a Maidstone Housing Trust Tenant. Does this make any difference?

Yes. Unfortunately if you are not a Housing Trust tenant you are unable to participate in the Homesearch Scheme. To apply for housing you must contact Maidstone Borough Council. They are responsible for managing the Housing Register for the Borough and all housing applications must be made to them.

You can get more information about how to apply to be on the Housing Register by visiting Maidstone Borough Council’s website at www.maidstone.gov.uk or you can contact the Council’s Housing Options Team on 01622 602000.

How will I know which properties are available?

A list of all vacant properties is advertised weekly in the KM Extra, at our Shepway Area Housing Office, at Maidstone Borough Council’s Head Office at London Road, at some local libraries, at the Park Wood Healthy Living Centre and the Citizens Advice Bureau. You can also see our Homesearch Property List by clicking on the link to Homesearch Property List. If you have difficulty in accessing details of our Homesearch Property List, please contact a member of the Homesearch Team.

How do I apply for a property on the list?

You can bid for a property in one of the following ways
By telephone to the Homesearch Team on 01622 212800
In person at our Shepway Area Housing Office
By email to homesearch@maidstonehousing.org.uk
By post to Maidstone Housing Trust, Whatman House, St Leonard’s Road, Allington, Maidstone ME16 0LS 

How many properties can I apply for?

You can apply for a maximum of three properties from each Homesearch Property List.

What size or type of property can I apply for?

You can bid for any property suitable to your housing need. The following table is a useful guide:

You can apply for a property with one bedroom more than you require, but priority will always be given to applicants who need the size of the property advertised.

Will I be rewarded if I down-size to a smaller property with fewer bedrooms?

We operate a Transfer Incentive Scheme for our tenants who wish to transfer to a property with fewer bedrooms. Further information is available upon request.

How long do I have to apply for the properties?

The deadline for response to adverts is shown at the top of each Homesearch Property List and bids received after this time and date will not be considered. Please note we cannot be responsible for the non-receipt of any bids sent to us through by post.

I have applied for properties but the properties go to applicants with higher points than me, why is this?

This may happen because the demand for properties in certain areas is higher and more points will be needed to secure these vacancies. In our weekly Homesearch Property List we show details of successful bidders from previous lists so tenants are aware of the points level successful bidders had when the property was advertised. By looking at the results of successful bids, you may be able to identify properties in lower in demand and available to those applicants with a lower points level.

Why has someone with fewer points than me been offered a property?

This may happen because

• your bid was received after the stated deadline
• you may have been unsuitable for the size or type of property
• the property may have had adaptations which the successful applicant was in medical need of

How will I know whether I have been successful?

The successful applicant(s) will be offered the property within 48 hours of the bid deadline. Where possible we will make contact in the first instance by telephone and then a written offer will be sent. If contact cannot be established with the successful applicant within the specified time stated on the offer letter, the offer will be withdrawn and will be offered to the next highest bidder.

Regretfully due to the volume of bids received and in order to run a cost effective service, we are not able to contact unsuccessful applicants but you will see from the subsequent adverts the points level of the successful applicants for the properties advertised. You can call the Homesearch team to see whether you are the successful applicant but we would encourage you not to telephone before the 48 hour deadline has been reached.

If you are the successful bidder, your Housing Manager will contact you to arrange an inspection of your current home. If your home does not meet the required standard, the offer will be withdrawn. It is obviously in your own interests to ensure your property is kept and maintained in good condition as this may affect your chances of a transfer.

If I view a property and don’t like it, will I be penalised if I refuse it?

We will not penalise you for refusing a property you have been offered if it is subsequently deemed to be unsuitable for your needs. However, if you refuse two properties which are regarded as suitable and refused without good reason, your application will be deferred from the Transfer List for six months. We will then write to you advising you if this applies to your application advising when your application will be re-activated. During the period of deferment, you will not be eligible to bid.

Deferred from the Transfer List

In some circumstances transfer applications may be temporarily deferred during which time an applicant will not be eligible to bid for properties. It is essential applicants advise the Trust of any changes in circumstances which may affect their application. Failure to advise MHT of changes in circumstances may result in an application being deferred.

Where a tenant’s property, during a pre-transfer inspection by a Housing Manager, is found not to meet the necessary standards, the application may be deferred until the applicant is tenancy compliant following a subsequent visit by the Housing Manager.

Applicants will be deferred for 12 months where it is proved an applicant has supplied false or misleading information when making an application.

Where an applicant has deliberately worsened their housing situation without reasonable cause their application will be deferred for a minimum of 6 months.

Appeal – The Right to Review

An applicant who is deferred, excluded or removed from our transfer list has a right to appeal within 21 days of the date of the exclusion.  A review will be undertaken by the Homesearch Manager and the tenant will be advised of the decision and the reasons for it. 

Applicants have the right to request such information as will enable him/her to assess how their application has been treated.

Challenges to review decisions may be made using the Maidstone Housing Trust’s Complaints process.

If you have any queries regarding Homesearch or would like further information, please contact a member of our Homesearch Team on 01622 212800.

date published: 22/04/2008