What is Coventry Homefinder?
Coventry Homefinder is the scheme by which most of the social housing in Coventry is allocated. Coventry City Council do not own any council houses and social properties are provided solely by registered housing providers.
The scheme advertises social and affordable rented properties and aims to give you choice about where you live and the type of accommodation you would like to move to.
All applicants are assessed according to their housing need, given a priority band and advised what size property they are eligible for. You decide which properties you would like to be considered for and can place a bid on up to 3 properties. The properties are usually let to the person in the highest priority band and if there is more than 1 household with the same priority the property will be offered to those who have waited the longest.
Not everybody that applies will qualify to join the housing register and social housing is in very high demand in Coventry, so alongside your Homefinder application you will need to consider all other housing options available to you.
Coventry Homefinder is a Choice Based Lettings Allocation Scheme. People who want to move into a social rented home in Coventry can register with Coventry Homefinder. A banding system is used to give priority to those people with an urgent housing need (e.g. those people who are homeless, are overcrowded or who have a medical or welfare need to move) over those people who have no identified housing need and/or are currently adequately housed.
Available social housing properties are advertised each week and applicants can express an interest in (bid on) properties that they want to be considered for. At the end of each advertising period, a shortlist is created of all the applicants that have bid on the property, based on their band and their registration/effective date.
Cabinet report (18 February 2020)
The Council no longer owns any housing following the transfer of all the former Council housing to Whitefriars Housing Group (now Citizen) in September 2000. However, the Local Authority is legally required to have a scheme that allocates social housing.
The aim is that those with the greatest need for housing are prioritised.
How to register for Homefinder
If you do not currently have an application on Coventry Homefinder and think you may qualify for the scheme, you can register below.
It can take up to 45 minutes to complete the application form, please take some time to gather the information you will need to provide us with.
You will need an email address, your national insurance number, and a list of your addresses over the last 5 years to proceed.
In addition, if you have a reason to move that includes financial reasons you will need to gather information about your income & spending.
If you have medical reasons for needing to move you may need details of your medications and treatment. If you have multiple reasons for moving, you will need to provide evidence for every reason listed. Find out which documents may be required. [https://www.coventryhomefinder.com/choice/help.aspx]
Applications are processed in date order from the date that required documentation is received. If you do not provide the requested documentation within 28 days your application will be removed.
Register for Homefinder [https://coventry.locatapro.org/onlineform]
The wait time to process applications for Coventry Homefinder is around 8 weeks.
For help and support to register for the new Homefinder Scheme please visit Coventry Homefinder [https://coventry.locatapro.org/choice/help.aspx].
Property availability and waiting times
Social Housing is in very high demand in Coventry and demand far outweighs supply of available properties. Find out more about the other housing options available to you [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/homelessness-advice/useful-information].
You can now find out how long you could expect to wait for social housing in Coventry based on your own circumstances and property requirements.
Property availability and waiting times [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Social_housing_waiting_times_in_Coventry]
Frequently asked questions about Coventry Homefinder
Who can apply and who will not be allowed to register?
The eligibility criteria are set out in legislation – these are based mainly on immigration status and habitual residence in the UK.
The Government has given local councils more flexibility in setting local criteria to decide who ‘qualifies’ to join the register.
The Coventry Homefinder Policy includes the following qualifying criteria:
- You must have a local connection (except in some exceptional circumstances)
- You must have a housing need that is recognised in the policy. If you are adequately housed, you will not be able to join the register.
- If you have a household income over £50,000 or assets over £50,000, you will not be able to join the Homefinder register
What do I do if I don’t agree with my band?
You will be placed in a band based on the information you have provided. Please provide all the information about your current circumstances on your application and provide any documents requested.
View the bands [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/82/housing/3951/coventry_homefinder_policy_housing_allocations_scheme_summary#4]
If you believe your band does not reflect your circumstances based on the policy, you may request a review within 28 days by emailing HousingReview@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:HousingReview@coventry.gov.uk] detailing why you believe the decision to be incorrect against the Homefinder policy.
What if my circumstances have changed?
It is your responsibility to tell us about any changes to your circumstances, you can do this by logging into your Homefinder account and completing the 'Have your circumstances changed?' form. Depending on the type of change you are telling us about we will assess this against the Homefinder policy and where necessary award a new band. If you are awarded a new band your effective date will change to the date you submitted the change of circumstances form.
Do I need to renew my application annually?
Yes, you will be contacted each year on the anniversary of your registration on the scheme where you will be prompted to log into your account and tell us if there have been any changes to your circumstances.
Examples of a change of circumstances could include:
- A change of household makeup such as expecting a child or a household member leaving the home
- A change in personal circumstances such as moving home or a change in medical condition that is being impacted by your accommodation
- A change in contact details
We will send you a reminder by email to tell you that your application is due for 'renewal' and you will have 56 days to tell complete this. If you do not complete your renewal within the 56-day timeframe, you will be removed from the housing register and will need to apply again if you wish to bid for social housing again in future.
What do I do if you tell me I cannot join the register?
We will assess whether you qualify to join the register based on the information you give us on your application form.
View the qualifying criteria [/info/82/housing/3951/coventry_homefinder_policy_housing_allocations_scheme_summary].
Once your application has been assessed, If you are told that you cannot join the register based on the qualifying criteria but you believe this is incorrect, you may request a review within 28 days by emailing HousingReview@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:HousingReview@coventry.gov.uk] detailing why you believe the decision to be incorrect against the Homefinder policy [/homefinderpolicy].
Homefinder Policy and Summary documents (Autumn 2021)
- Homefinder policy summary [/homefinderpolicysummary]
- Homefinder policy [/homefinderpolicy]