Bracknell

Properties available to rent are advertised from Friday to midnight on the following Tuesday every week.

 

When can I start bidding? 

Once your application has been assessed, checked and verified and a home visit has been carried out if required, then your applicatiion will be made active. You will receive a registration letter via email or post to allow you to start bidding.

You may bid for any property that you are eligible for in each advertising period. Please be aware the size of accommodation you can bid on allows a bedroom standard which differs to the number of bedrooms Housing Benefit will pay for. Housing Benefit will restrict the size of accommodation based on the number of people in your household. The rules allow one bedroom for:

• every adult couple (married or unmarried)
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any two children of the same sex aged under 16
• any two children aged under 10
• any other child (other than a foster child or child whose main home is elsewhere)
• a carer (or team of carers) who do not live with you but provide you or your partner with overnight care.

To express your interest in a property

You can also easily withdraw a bid if you change your mind.

If you or someone you know would like help with bidding, please contact the Welfare & Housing Service.

 

How many bedrooms can I have? 

Under the council's Housing Allocation Policy, each child would be entitled to their own bedroom. Please bear in mind this may differ from the Housing Association Policy.  Most Housing Associations use bedroom calculation like the Housing Benefit calculator based on the ages of any children. 

• 2 children under 10 of any sex will be expected to share a bedroom 
• 2 children under 16 of the same sex will be expected to share a bedroom 

A Housing Association may not accept you for an offer if you place a bid due to the ages of the children. 

 

I have two children of opposite sex and one is 10 years old and the other is under 10 years old. Do they need separate bedrooms? is it legal? 

There are no legal requirements or law in existence which governs for children of opposite sex to have their own bedrooms. Under our current Housing Allocation Policy, they will be allowed a bedroom for each child.  Housing Associations will also have their own Local Lettings Policy on how they will allocate a bedroom for a child and their ages may be taken into consideration. 

It is the parent’s responsibility to organise bedrooms and sleeping areas, to ensure that children are well catered for, in terms of sleeping arrangements. 

 

When do children have to stop sharing a bedroom? 

There is no legal requirement for children of the same sex or opposite gender to stop sharing a room.  It is desirable for children of different ages and gender to have their own bedrooms.  Under our current Allocations policy, if your children are sharing a bedroom, then this is taken into consideration within the band for overcrowding. 

It is the parent’s responsibility to organise bedrooms and sleeping areas, to ensure that children are well catered for, in terms of sleeping arrangements. 

 

How many properties can I bid on? 

You can express an interest in as many properties that you are eligible for. 

 

I cannot bid on a property, why? 

There are a few reasons that you might not be able to bid: 

• you might not be on the Housing Register. Please go to BFC My Advice to see if Social Housing is one of your options. 

• you may have been offered a property. You cannot bid for other properties until you have decided to accept or refuse the offer. 

• you may not be eligible for that particular property. Please check the eligibility details on the property advert. 

• there may be no properties available in the current cycle which meet your housing needs. 

• it may be a Wednesday or Thursday when properties are not advertised. 

• your application may be suspended. 

If you are still unsure, please contact housing.register@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. 

 

Why has someone else been rehoused before me and I have been on the list longer? 

An applicant who has been on the Housing Register for a shorter period may be housed before another applicant who has been waiting longer. This will depend on the person’s circumstances. The person could be in a higher band, a homeless applicant, have a medical need for urgent rehousing or meet a certain criterion on a Housing Association property. All applicants’ details are confidential and we cannot divulge why they have been offered a property before you. 

 

Why did x get housed before me when I have been on the list longer? 

Although you may think that your circumstances are the same as someone else, there could be different factors considered which could mean them being housed before you.