Southwark HomesearchYour move, your choice
Once you are registered on our housing list, you can use Southwark Homesearch, our choice-based lettings service, to bid for a new home from those that become available.
Registration
If your name is on Southwark Council's housing list you will be sent a letter telling you
- Your Homesearch registration number
- The priority band your application has been placed in
- Your registration date
You can read more about the housing list and priority bands in  Letting Southwark Homes (pdf 339kb)To view this document you will need Adobe Reader.
How to bid
When a property becomes available it is advertised in the Southwark Homesearch magazine and on the Southwark Homesearch website. You can pick up a copy of the Homesearch magazine at your area housing office, library or One Stop Shop.
You can bid for an advertised property you are interested in every week by calling our bidding hotline on 0845 270 0655 or by bidding online at Southwark Homesearch.
How many homes can I bid for?
You can make one bid every week.
It doesn't matter what day you make your bid because places are not allocated on a first come first served basis but depending on priority. If you need help choosing a property or making a bid, you can contact the Southwark Homesearch advice line on 020 7525 5950.
When can I not bid?
You will not be able to bid if
- You are not registered on the housing list
- You have been suspended from the housing list for any reason, such as if you owe rent to us or if we are waiting for more information to support your application. You will also be suspended if you have refused a total of 10 offers following successful bids.
Please check with your area housing office if you think that your application may be suspended or call us on 020 7525 5950.
Move in
Following the closing date for bids, advertised properties will be offered to the applicant in the highest band who has been in that band for the longest period. Offers are not made on a first come, first served basis but will depend on the housing needs of individual applicants.
If you are offered a property, you can go and see it with a member of our housing team. If it is suitable and you would like to move in, we will arrange for this to happen as soon as possible.
Refusing a property
If the property you are offered isn't suitable or, for some reason, you do not want to move there, then it will be offered to the second highest priority applicant who placed a bid and so on. You should inform the area housing office, housing association or housing officer that you wish to refuse the property. Once the offer has been removed from your homesearch account, you will be able to continue bidding.
Suspensions following 10 refusals
From October 2008, if you refuse a total of 10 properties following successful bids, your account will be suspended for a period of six months. This means that you will not be able to bid during this time.
This is to cut back on the time it takes us to re-let vacant properties. Revenue is lost to the council when properties are empty. Therefore, to avoid this occurring, it is important to only bid for properties you are genuinely interested in. If you want to check out the property you have bid for before a viewing date is offered, you should try to do so before the end of the bidding period. You will then be able to withdraw the bid before the bidding round closes and the property is offered to you.
There are no penalties applied to your homesearch account if you do not bid every week. You do not accrue extra priority by bidding regularly. If you cannot see a property you like in a particular week, it is better to not bid at all than to bid for a property you do not really want or which is not suitable for your needs.
Contact us
Housing options services
Tel: 020 7525 5950
Fax: 020 7525 4088
hsg.has@southwark.gov.uk
25 Bournemouth Road
London
SE15 4UJ
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm (10am on Wednesdays) |