Council housing allocations policy

The Bidding Process

Applicants can bid on the website www.welhat.gov.uk. Applicants can bid for as many properties as they wish at a time.

The majority of bids will be made directly by applicants, however in certain circumstances the following may apply:

Auto bidding

This is where an applicant may need help with the bidding process and a third party has not been identified to assist them. The Council will speak to the applicant about their preference of area and property type and then set up Auto-Bidding.

All applicants who we have accepted a full duty to under the homeless legislation will be set up for Auto-Bidding as soon as duty has been accepted.

Approved bidding

Some applicants will be marked as 'approved'. This means that the applicant can bid for properties themselves, but that certain restrictions may be placed on where they can live or the property type they can be offered. For example an applicant who has a history of offending behaviour and we do not want them to live near their victim(s) in such cases, the bid will need to be approved before an offer will be made. We will make applicants aware that their bids will need to be approved.

Time limited bidding

Some applicants will be subject to time limited bidding. This means applicants will be given a time frame for how long they can bid before 'active' bidding (as described above) will be introduced. Each case will be considered on its own merits and in certain circumstances the original time frame may be extended - for instance because a suitable property has not become available. Examples of where time limited bidding will apply:

  • An applicant who has been given a higher priority band due to an urgent need to move, such as domestic violence or harassment
  • A statutory successor, who is living in accommodation unsuitable for their needs
  • An applicant who has been placed in a higher priority Band as a result of an agreed quota scheme

These bids will be monitored and if applicants are not bidding appropriately the additional priority would need to be reconsidered.