Bidding

• Log in to your account using your email and password 
• Click on ‘Bid for a home’ 
• From the Actions menu click on 'List of Available Properties' 
• View the details of a home you like 
• Check it is in an area you want to live in 
• Check it is the type of home you can bid for 
• Add it to your basket 
• Click 'Apply' to place bids on all properties in your basket

Things to remember 

• Your registration letter tells you the types of homes you are allowed to bid on 
• You can make up to three bids every week but cannot bid for the same home more than once 
• You should only bid on properties you are genuinely interested in; you do not need to use all three bids 
• To remove a property select the checkbox and press remove. Do not select the checkbox to apply for a property, only to remove. 
• You will receive a message to say your bid has been successfully registered.  
• If you change your mind, go back into your bids, and remove them, then go back to the list of properties for renting and start again 

If your circumstances change and you are no longer interested in a property you can withdraw your interest. Simply go back to the ‘Actions' menu and select 'Current Expressions of Interest'. This will show a list of properties you have currently placed bids on. Tick the box of the property you would like to remove and then press the 'Withdraw Interest' button. The property will be successfully removed from your bids for the week. 

Things to consider 

• We can't rehouse you if you don't bid. We could defer your application if you haven't placed a bid in six months 
• Contact us if you can't bid by yourself and have no one to help you 
• You will need to complete our pre-tenancy workshops if you have never held a tenancy before, or you've had problems during a previous tenancy

While we can't tell you the position of your bids as each bid you make will be different, if you login to your Homes in the City account, you will be able to check on each of the properties that you have bid on.  

• Log in to your account using your email and password 
• Click on ‘Bid for a home’ 
• From the Actions menu, click on ‘Current Expressions of Interest’ 
• Click on ‘View other expressions of interest’  
• Choose the week you want to check and click ‘Display properties’ 
• Click ‘Display property detail’ for the home you placed a bid on 
• Click ‘Show details’ to see interest levels of the property 

You will be able to see: 

• The number of bids it received 
• How long the customer was registered  
• The customer’s banding level 

Please note some homes are advertised with ‘letting preferences’ or ‘letting restrictions’ (a particular band or a local connection) and some may have an age restriction or have adaptations in the property. These properties may have been let to someone in a lower band than you, as you didn't meet the letting preferences.

• What Homes Become Available and Where 
• Who Bids Where

These reports show the properties which have become available for letting during the last 12 months by area and the average number of bids received. You will see in some areas that not many homes have become empty and available for letting and those homes where there is lots of demand. 

Remember you can bid for a home anywhere within the City of Wolverhampton and if you are flexible about which area you would like to live in, it can improve your chances. 

Things you can do include: 

• Bid in areas where we have lots of homes 
• Bid in areas where lots of homes become available to let 
• Bid in areas where there are lower numbers of other bidders 
• Bid on flats or maisonettes as well as houses and bungalows 
• Use each of your three bids every week otherwise you lose that week’s chance. It doesn’t matter when you bid as long as you bid 
• If you are in Band 2/3 try to use your bids on homes with ‘preference to bands 2/3’ 
• If you are in Band 1 bid on homes with ‘preference to bands 1' when they are advertised 
• Consider all housing options 

We can't provide feedback on the allocations of housing association or TMO properties as our systems are not linked. If you are being considered for one of these properties, it’s highly likely they will contact you direct within a week of the advert closing. If you require any information on how they are progressing with their allocation, please contact the organisation directly. 

Your application will last for one year, after that you will be asked to re-register your application. If you choose to not re-register, your application will be closed.  

When it is time to re-register you will be prompted to follow the re-registration process.  

• Log in to your account using your email and password 
• Click on the 're-register your application' link or 'My Accepted Housing Applications' 
• On ‘My Applications Summary’ click on 'Actions' and select 'Re-register Application' 
• On ‘List of Applications to Re-Register’ click on 'Re-registration' 
• From the ‘Re-register your application’ menu click ‘Yes’ to re-register the application and continue to use this application in the future, or ‘No’ to close the application and no longer bid for homes   
• Once you have made your selection click ‘Save’  

If you have had a change of circumstance or want to re-register your application, you will need to let us know. 

The sooner you tell us the better as it could affect your banding and eligibility.  

Changes include: 

• Is everyone on the original application still going to move with you? 
• Is there anyone else who will now be moving with you? 
• Are you expecting a baby? 
• Are you living at the same address? 
• Are there any changes to your contact details? 

Just fill in our update form giving all the details and upload copies of any documents required.  

If we don't hear from you in 28 days of your re-registration date, your application will be closed.  

It is important that you keep your contact details up to date so that we can get in touch with you about your application or any properties that you may be successful for.  

You can also update the contact details of other people on your application. 

• Log in to your account using your email and password 
• Click on 'My Accepted Housing Applications' 
• Click on 'Actions' and select 'View Application People'  
• Click on 'Actions' next to the person whose contact details you would like to update and select 'Maintain Person Contact Details'  
• Click 'Add Contact' to create new contact information or click 'Update Contact Details' to update an existing contact 
• Enter the new information, a start date for when you would like this new information to be used from, and click ‘Submit’ 
• You will now see the updated contact information listed 

If your application has been closed for less than six months and you want to start bidding again, please contact us. 

Please do not complete a new application form. If it has been closed for more than six months or you have been rehoused using your application, you will need to start a new application.