Complaints, praise, questions
Homefinder advertises homes on behalf of about 20 Manchester landlords. The landlords decide the rules about rehousing priorities and who gets offered homes.
We can deal with complaints and problems with the way the Homefinder service works; but please contact the landlord that’s handling your application, or the landlord that’s offering a home, about your specific rehousing issues.
Below is a list of the most common questions. Please check the answers before you contact Homefinder or a landlord. If you want to ask a question, make a complaint or praise the Homefinder service please email us here.
Q1. I rang up early Thursday morning to apply for a FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED property – why have I not been offered it? get answer
Q2. I ring up every week and have never been offered anything. It’s Homefinder’s job to find me a property – but they never do. Why not? get answer
Q3. I am not eligible for certain homes because my household is not ‘suitable’ for them. Why is this? get answer
Q4. Why am I in Chooser Group 3 with Manchester City Council, Northwards and Parkway Green? get answer
Q5. Why do I never get a letter or phone call about my bids for properties? get answer
Q6. How can I find out the likelihood of getting a property in a certain area based on my queue date? get answer
Q7. Why can’t I have a house if my partner or family will be moving with me but are not currently in the UK? get answer
Q8. How long does it take for a home to be offered to someone? get answer
Q9. Why does Homefinder never seem to have properties in the areas I want? get answer
Q10. If I refuse an offer of a home, will I be penalised? get answer
Q11. I have been offered a property that is NOT in one of the areas I asked for on my rehousing application. Why? get answer
Q12. How many people have bid for the same property that I have bid on? get answer
Q13. I am not eligible for certain homes because I am younger than the minimum age shown? Why do some properties have age restrictions? get answer
Q14. I am waiting for a property with at least four bedrooms, but it’s taking too long – so can I have a 3 bedroom property? get answer
Q15. I have returned my summary letter and reference forms, but I haven’t been told I can bid for homes yet. Why? get answer
Q1. I rang up early Thursday morning to apply for a
FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED property – why have I not been offered it?
Homefinder is updated every Thursday with a fresh batch of
PRIORITY homes. But individual FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED properties
can be added at any time. Just because a home is still on the
website, it doesn’t mean no-one has bid for it yet. It is only
removed when it has been accepted by a bidder. They can also be
advertised on the website before they appear on the printed
Homefinder Weekly. So even though you applied early on Thursday, you
may not have been the first eligible person to go for it. So don’t
just look and apply on a Thursday. Keep calling, or check the
website regularly. Remember Homefinder advertises the homes, you bid
for them, the landlord decides who get them.
Q2. I ring up every week and have never been offered anything. It’s
Homefinder’s job to find me a property – but they never do. Why not?
Homefinder works like an agency. We advertise homes to find
potential tenants for landlords in the
Manchester Housing Register. We take the bids for the homes and
pass them on to the relevant landlord. It’s the landlord, not
Homefinder, who make the final decision.
That decision is based on the landlord’s rules. It is very unlikely that you will be offered a Priority home unless you have a high rehousing priority with the landlord.
Q3. I am not eligible for certain homes because my household is not
‘suitable’ for them. Why is this?
All Manchester Housing Register landlords are not-for-profit
organisations. They must make sure that housing is used in the best
way – that means matching available homes to appropriate households.
Landlords wouldn’t normally want a family-sized house going to a
single person for instance. And obviously they must not overcrowd
people – so a one-bed flat would not be offered to a family.
When you first register for rehousing, the landlords work out the size of the home you’re entitled to, based on how many people will be moving with you, and their relationships to each other. To find out more, contact the Manchester Housing Register landlord handling your application.
Q4. Why am I in Chooser Group 3 with Manchester City Council,
Northwards and Parkway Green?
Manchester City Council, Northwards Housing and Parkway Green put
rehousing applicants into one of three groups. Groups 1 and 2 are
for people who
need to move because of serious circumstances,
rather than for people who simply want to move.
You go into Group 3 if:
- you live outside Manchester, and have no connection to the city; or
- you live here but don’t have any serious need to move – meaning you simply want to move.
Homefinder works like an agency – advertising homes to find potential tenants for landlords. We can't change your priority or group – this is up to the relevant landlord.
Q5. Why do I never get a letter or phone call about my bids for
properties?
We do not have the resources to reply to every bid. The relevant
landlord writes to the successful bidder to offer them a home. If
that’s you, expect your letter within seven to ten days from the end
of the bidding period (or within ten days of you bidding if it’s a
‘First-come-first-served’ property). If you don’t hear within that
time, please assume your bid has been unsuccessful. If you are
logged in to Homefinder you can check where your bids are up to.
Q6. How can I find out the likelihood of getting a property in a
certain area based on my queue date?
Contact the Manchester Housing Register
landlord
handling your application.
Or see who was offered previously
advertised homes to get an idea how Priority homes are offered
in the area(s) you’re interested in. If you are logged-in you can
check your rehousing status with each landlord, and compare it to
who was offered
previously advertised homes in
the areas you want.
Q7. Why can’t I have a house if my partner or family will be moving
with me but are not currently in the UK?
This can be because your partner or family may not follow
you. But if they do arrive in the UK, contact the
Manchester Housing Register landlord
handling your application. If you can provide official
documents, they will add your partner or family to your rehousing
application. This could make you eligible for a larger property.
Q8. How long does it take for a home to be offered to someone?
A FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED property can be offered to a
bidder at any time, but Priority Homes are only offered at the end
of the advertised bidding week. As long as you apply for a Priority
home before the bidding period closes you will be in with a chance
of getting it. The successful bidder should hear within ten days of
bidding for a First-Come-First-Served property, and within ten days
of the end of the bidding period for a Priorty home.
Q9. Why does Homefinder never seem to have properties in the areas I
want?
Homefinder works like an agency – advertising homes to find
potential tenants for landlords The landlords decide which homes in
which areas they want to advertise. Not all properties are
advertised by Homefinder. As long as you have told the landlord
handling your application the areas you want, you will still be
considered. To find out why the a landlord rarely advertises in
certain areas, contact the relevant
Manchester Housing Register landlord
Q10. If I refuse an offer of a home, will I be penalised?
It depends on the landlord that offers the home. Each
landlord has its own rehousing rules.
Only apply for properties you are interested in – and check with the
landlord before refusing an offer.
Q11. I have been offered a property that is NOT in one of the areas
I asked for on my rehousing application. Why?
This can happen for two reasons: When you fill in a
rehousing application form, you list the areas you’re interested in.
We will only offer you homes in these areas (unless you are in the
‘emergency’ rehousing group – see below). But there is nothing to
stop you bidding for homes in other areas (perhaps you have decided
to widen your options). If this bid was successful, you would be
offered a home that is not in your original list of areas.
The other way you may be offered a property outside your original list of areas is if you are in the ‘emergency’ rehousing group. If nothing has come up in the specific areas you want within four weeks, you could be offered a home anywhere in the city. You have to agree to this when you first go into the emergency category.
Q12. How many people have bid for the same property that I have bid
on?
See previously advertised
homes
to find out how many people bid for Priority homes. We do not keep
records of all the bids for a First-Come-First-Served home – the
property is offered to the first eligible person that applies, so
the number of bidders is irrelevant.
Q13. I am not eligible for certain homes because I am younger than
the minimum age shown? Why do some properties have age restrictions?
The landlord must make sure that they use housing in the
best way – that means matching available homes to appropriate
households. Some blocks are reserved for older people for instance.
Introducing younger tenants – with different lifestyles – may upset
the balance of the community. The age restrictions are set by the
landlord, not Homefinder. To find more, contact the relevant
Manchester Housing Register landlord.
Q14. I am waiting for a property with at least four bedrooms, but
it’s taking too long – so can I have a 3 bedroom property?
When you first register for rehousing, the landlords work
out the size of the home you’re entitled to, based on how many
people will be moving with you, and their relationships to each
other. If you are waiting for a home with four or more bedrooms,
it’s because that is the size of home that matches your household. A
landlord can’t then offer you a smaller home as it means you would
be overcrowded – there would be too many people in a bedroom for
instance.
But if its possible that you could go for a ‘parlour type’ property (this has three bedrooms upstairs, and two living rooms downstairs) – if you are prepared to use one of the two living rooms as a bedroom.
If you want to change your original rehousing application to specifically say you would accept a home like this, contact the Manchester Housing Register landlord.
Q15. I have returned my summary letter and reference forms, but I
haven’t been told I can bid for homes yet. Why?
Homefinder works like an agency. We advertise homes to find
potential tenants for landlords. But it’s the landlord, not
Homefinder, that handles your application. The landlord may need to
do follow-up checks on your references, or may be waitingfor some
information from other agencies. If you are having any problems with
your application contact the the
Manchester Housing Register landlord.
handling your application.