Cornwall Homechoice goes live at the end of March

Cornwall Homechoice, the new single register and single choice based system for the allocation of social housing including council owned properties and those properties owned and managed by housing associations, will go live on 27th March.

Homechoice will replace all the previously separate social housing allocation systems across Cornwall and will remove the need to apply multiple times across Cornwall for properties to rent, buy or part buy under affordable housing schemes.

According to Cornwall Council, choice based letting is designed to offer more choice and involvement for applicants in selecting a new home and is an open, transparent and customer-based approach in the allocation of properties.

Available social rented housing is let by being advertised and allowing customers to "bid" or "register an interest" in those homes.

Applicants will be able to view details of vacant social housing on the council’s website, in the local Saturday press, in libraries and in One Stop Shops.

Applicants can then ‘bid’ on these vacancies and the successful bidder will be the applicant in the most need.

Those previously included on one of the old district councils’ housing registers were contacted directly and asked to re-register to ensure that all existing applicants are given the opportunity to be re-assessed under the new scheme in a way that is consistent and fair, says the new unitary council.

Up to the end of February, the number of applicants on the list was in the region of 8,000. In advance of the launch of Homechoice at the end of March, each applicant will receive a letter confirming their registration, informing them of the process for bidding for homes and giving details of how to find out about the list of available properties.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for housing Mark Kaczmarek said of the new system: “Choice based lettings gives the applicant a greater role in deciding where they wish to live.

"Most of the Housing Associations in Cornwall have signed up as partners with Cornwall Homechoice so people looking for housing will be able to make one application for almost all social housing in Cornwall.”

Applications are encouraged online wherever possible. Alternatively, paper forms can be requested via customer services on 0300 1234161. All customer services staff are trained to help with queries about filling out the application, whether on paper or online.