Putting choice at the top of the list

Stratford-on-Avon District residents will soon have a wider choice of housing association homes as Stratford-on-Avon District Council introduces Home Choice Plus.

The District Council, in partnership with Orbit Heart of England, will join the new Home Choice Plus scheme at the beginning of December, providing members of the community with more choice in social housing, 2 years before the government deadline of 2010.

From the 2 December 2008 applicants on the Councils Housing Waiting List who have recently renewed their applications will be able to consider vacancies across six local authority areas including towns like Evesham, Pershore, Worcester, Malvern, Bromsgrove and Kidderminster as well as Stratford-on-Avon District.

Home Choice Plus provides applicants with the opportunity to choose where they wish to live by placing bids for properties. Applicants using the Home Choice Plus website can learn more about the properties before they bid on them, including the location, property type, amount of rent and service charges, and much more. 

Vacant properties across the Home Choice Plus area will be advertised through the Home Choice Plus website at www.homechoiceplus.org.uk. Applicants can also find out about properties available in Stratford-on-Avon District via the Property Line telephone service on 01789 260840, and at council offices.

Stephen Gray, Portfolio Holder for Revenues and Housing, explains the benefit to customers -
"Stratford-on-Avon District Council is very proud to be part of a scheme that gives applicants for housing association homes a greater say in where they live. Home Choice Plus can be accessed via the District Council, and provides a one stop shop where customers can register, find vacant property details and bid for homes across the six local authority areas.  Home Choice Plus also secures priority for local residents, protecting local accommodation for those who live locally and have a need for housing."

"Another change under the new scheme will see the current points system scrapped and replaced by a banding scheme. Customers will be put into a band depending on their housing need. Properties will be allocated to successful bidders who have been in the highest band for the longest amount of time."

"Over the past two months several thousand applicants on the District Council and Orbit Heart of England waiting lists have been written to and many have re-registered. However, those who have not reregistered yet are encouraged to do so if they wish to continue to be considered for housing association homes."