Bidding for a social housing property (choice-based lettings)

Social Housing is all housing owned or managed by a council or housing association.

To get social housing, people who are on the Housing Register are able to search for available properties and 'bid' (or apply) for the ones that meet their needs. This is called 'choice-based lettings'.

To bid for social housing in Adur and Worthing, you need to:

Already be on the Housing Register
Find a suitable property on the Sussex Homemove website
Bid for the property

There is a severe shortage of all types of housing across our region and you may have to wait many years to get a home through the Housing Register.

You may be able to get a new home more quickly through private rented accommodation.

How to bid for properties

Available social housing properties in Adur and Worthing are advertised on the:

Sussex Homemove website

When you make a bid, you are telling us you are interested in a property. It is not a guarantee that you will be successful.

Bidding is free, and you can bid for up to three properties in each 2-week cycle.

If you see a suitable property you can bid for it online or by telephone. The number is at the bottom of this page.

If you need help making a bid please contact us and we can set up automated bidding for you.

How bids are assessed

Bids are sorted based on priority band and priority date, and a shortlist is made.

Priority bands: indicate the priority you have for housing. There are four bands, A to D, with Band A indicating those who have the highest levels of housing need and have the highest priority for housing. Applicants in Band D have the lowest priority for housing.
Your priority date: is either the date of your application or the date your application moved up into a higher band.

If you have previously breached the terms of your tenancy agreement, been involved in anti-social behaviour or have rent arrears you may not be offered a property, even if you make a priority bid. It's really important to pay your rent and keep to the terms of your tenancy.

What happens after bids are assessed

You won't be contacted if your bid was unsuccessful.

If your bid is on the shortlist you may be nominated for the property.

If nominated, you may be contacted by the housing provider. They will check that the property is suitable for you and that you can afford it.

After this assessment, you may be offered a viewing. After you have viewed the property you will be asked whether you want to accept the property. If your application information is still correct you will then be formally offered the tenancy.

Each application is dealt with individually, but as a general guide:

if you refuse the property, you can usually carry on bidding for alternative properties
in some cases you will only be given one offer of suitable accommodation