Register for social housing

Home-Link is the choice-based lettings scheme for all council and housing association homes in Cambridgeshire and West Suffolk.

Other types of property such as extra care, purpose-built accommodation with care and support for older and vulnerable people, and shared home ownership properties may also be advertised here. If you are already a social housing tenant, you can also register for a mutual exchange so you can swap homes with another tenant on the HomeSwapper website.

East Cambridgeshire District Council has responsibility for managing the housing register via Home-Link.

Apply

Apply online

You need to provide all the documents below to support your application:

  • proof of identity for all household members, such as passports or birth certificates
  • proof of your current address, such as a recent utility bill
  • evidence of your right to reside in the UK if you are not a British Citizen, such as a passport and other relevant Home Office documentation
  • proof of income and other financial details
  • supporting information about any medical issues or support you receive (if this applies to you)

Providing the required documents

If documents are not received within 28 days of making an application (or them being requested from you by the organisation you applied to), your application will be cancelled and you will need to make a new one. If you have a problem getting the requested information within 28 days (for example, you are waiting for a new passport or birth certificate to be sent to you), please discuss this with the organisation you have applied to.

Accepted onto the housing register

You will receive an email or letter confirming that you have been accepted onto the housing register. This will tell you the band you have been placed in, the date your application has been registered from and the size of property you are eligible for.

Refusal of acceptance

There are some people who are not eligible to be included on the Housing Register. These are:

  • certain people who are subject to Immigration Control under the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act
  • certain people who are not subject to immigration control but who are not habitually resident in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland
  • people (including members of their household) who have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour that makes them unsuitable to be a tenant

Eligibility

You must have what is called a 'local connection' to the area you are looking to move to. Home-Link will consider you to have a local connection if you meet at least one of the reasons listed below:

  • you work in the local authority area for 16 hours or more per week
  • you have lived in the local authority area for at least six of the last 12 months, or three of the last five years
  • you have family members who are resident in the local authority area. Family members are defined as parents, sons and daughters who have been resident in the local authority for a period of five years or longer. Other close family ties will be considered on a case by case basis
  • you are owed a full housing duty under the relevant homelessness legislation by a Home-Link authority partner
  • you are a member of the UK Armed Forces or former Service personnel, where your application is made within five years of discharge
  • you are a bereaved spouse or civil partner of a member of the UK Armed Forces leaving Services Family Accommodation following the death of your spouse or partner
  • you are a serving or former member of the UK Reserve Forces who needs to move because of a serious injury, medical condition or disability sustained as a result of your service
  • you are a relevant person as defined by a Regulation 4 of the Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Right of Move (England) Regulations 2015)
  • you or a member of your household needs to move away from another area to escape violence or harm
  • you are a care leaver from one of the Home-Link local authority partners who has been placed (by Children's Services) outside the Home-Link local authority partner area
  • there are special circumstances that a Home-Link authority partner considers which gives you a local connection

Successful applications 

You will receive an email or a letter confirming that you have been accepted onto the housing register. This will tell you the band you have been placed in, the date your application has been registered from and the size of property you are eligible for.

Home-Link uses a banding scheme to prioritise applications with five different bands. Your assessed banding will depend on your household circumstances and housing need. 

Bidding

Properties available to rent are advertised every week on the Home-Link website. Properties will be advertised from midnight on a Thursday and you will be able to register your interest in properties up until midnight the following Wednesday. You can bid for up to 3 properties per advertising cycle. It doesn’t matter when you make your bid during that cycle as it is not first-come, first-served. 

You do not get penalised for refusing a property you have successfully bid for (unless the council has accepted a statutory homelessness duty to you), however, we may review your circumstances if you refuse several properties, especially if you are in a high housing needs band and you need to move urgently.

Whilst a property is under offer to you, you will not be able to place a bid on another property (only one property may be on offer to an applicant at one time).

The wait for a property

The wait for a property depends on:

  • the number of bids for the same property
  • your banding
  • the length of time you have been registered on Home-Link

Successful bidding

Once the bidding cycle has closed:

  • the bids received are put in priority order to produce a shortlist of eligible applicants for each property
  • the Housing Association who manages the property will contact you to establish your interest in the property and arrange an appointment for you to view it

Contact the landlord if you receive an offer but do not intend to attend a viewing appointment.

Carpets and appliances

Social Housing is not private renting and so usually you will have to provide your own carpets and appliances. As often the houses are rented to you as an empty shell.

Remember:

  • only bid for properties that closely match your needs
  • properties available to rent are advertised from midnight on a Thursday to midnight the following Wednesday every week (six days)
  • you will be able to bid for a maximum of three properties during the time they are advertised
  • make sure we have your latest phone number and address and email address
  • it is important to keep us informed of any changes to your circumstances (for example: changes to your household size, housing situation or medical condition) as these may affect your band or your eligibility for certain properties
  • be aware that you have to renew your registration every year. You will receive a reminder letter from us.
  • if you don’t respond to the reminder, your application will be cancelled
    Home-Link is not the only way to find a home you can try other housing options as well: For example, Home Swapper, Private Rented Sector, Share home or Home Exchange

Lettings policy

Further advice

The housing register in East Cambridgeshire is managed by the council.
Email: housingregisterqueries@eastcambs.gov.uk 
Telephone: 01353 665555

Shelter
Tel: 0808 800 4444
Free housing advice hotline

Community Advice Service
Tel: 01353 665555
Email: communityadviceservice@eastcambs.gov.uk 
This is a free support and advice service providing unbiased confidential advice to members of the public in the East Cambridgeshire district. Covering advice and support for problems with housing, employment issues, money and debt advice and much more.

We want to listen we want to help

Contact us:
Tel: 01353 665555
Email: housingservices@eastcambs.gov.uk