Welcome!
This is the choice-based lettings scheme for Lambeth Council homes and for housing association rented properties in Lambeth. Each week we advertise Council and Housing Association homes which are available to let, you can then "bid" for properties that you are interested in.
How to find available properties
Properties are advertised from Wednesday to Sunday. New advertisements appear on Wednesday showing the week’s available properties. You then have until midnight on the following Sunday to bid for a property. There is no advantage to bidding as soon as the adverts are available. A bid made on Wednesday is treated in the same way as one made on Sunday evening.
Bidding is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so we can receive the lists of everyone who bid for a property during the previous week. We will make a shortlist of the top bidders for each property and invite them to view the property.
In ‘Search for properties’ you will be able to see all the properties available that week. Use the search function to filer to properties that meet your needs. This includes the number of bedrooms, location and any accessibility needs.
Before you place a bid
Please read the advertisement carefully before bidding.
Check you are happy with the location, floor level, whether there is a lift, number of bedrooms and size of the property. Check if there are any restrictions set out in the advertisement text, for instance, if there is a minimum age limit, medical criteria or if there is a restriction on the size of household that can apply. If you have a disability, then please note any comments in the advertisement regarding access, such as entrance steps or whether the property has a lift.
To see how likely you would be to be shortlisted for a property click on the ‘Current bid position’ button. This will tell you the estimated position you would have if you did place a bid.
Property sizes
The Bedroom/Bedspaces figure for a property tells you both the number of bedrooms and the size of these rooms. A double room is 2 bedspaces, and a single room is 1 bedspace. So, a property described as 3/4 means it has 3 bedrooms and 4 bedspaces, which means it has one double and two single bedrooms. If you want to, you can accept a Council property that has fewer bedspaces than the number of people in your family, but some Housing Associations will not accept households larger than the number of bedspaces.
You can bid for properties of your allowed property size and one bedroom fewer. For instance, if you can bid for 3-bed properties then you can bid for both 3-bed and 2-bed properties. Those requiring 6-bedroom or larger can bid for properties with two fewer bedrooms. This applies to Council properties, but some Housing Associations may not accept bids for properties that are smaller than you need.
How to place a bid
Once you have read all the property details and have decided you would like to bid. All you need to do is click the ‘Place a bid’ button. Your bid will then be submitted.
You can bid for more than one property each week, but you will only be shortlisted for one property at a time, so please ensure that you would be equally prepared to accept all properties you bid for, as you will have no choice regarding which property you may be shortlisted for.
When you bid for a property, you are expressing a serious interest to be offered a property, so please only bid for properties that you would be prepared to accept if offered. If you bid for a property that you know you would not accept if offered, then you have wasted your bid and potentially used up one of your offers.
What happens if you are shortlisted and invited to view a property
If you are shortlisted for a property, you will be notified by text or email and invited to view the property. If your email address or phone number changes, please let us know so you do not miss out on a property you are shortlisted for.
Properties are advertised as soon as the property is vacated, so there may still be works being done to the property to make it ready for letting when you view it.
Following the viewing you will be asked if you wish to accept or reject the property. Up to 5 applicants will be invited to each viewing, this is to ensure there is someone shortlisted who accepts the property.
If you have the highest priority of those shortlisted, or those with a higher priority have rejected the property, you will be offered the property.
You are advised not to give notice on your current home or incur any expenses, such as buying new furniture, until you have actually signed the tenancy agreement for your new home.
Verifying your application
When you are shortlisted for a property, we may contact you to verify the details in your application. This is to confirm that you have the right priority and bedroom needs. If any details are incorrect the offer may be withdrawn, and your application reassessed.
You must notify us of any changes that could affect your application.