How do I register with Homespot?
You can pick up a housing application form (PDF, 195KB)| from the Accommodation Resource Centre (ARC) or one of our Neighbourhood Offices/One Stop Shops|. A list of contact details is available on the website.
If you need help to fill in the application form staff from the ARC or Neighbourhood Offices/One Stop Shops| will be happy to assist.
To help us to register your application as quickly as possible you should make sure that you answer all the relevant questions on the form.
When you have filled in your application form please return it to the ARC or Neighbourhood Offices/One Stop Shops| and provide appropriate confirmation where required.
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How is my application assessed?
We will use the information you provide to decide whether you are a Home Seeker, Home Mover or Home Starter (see section below|) and you will be placed in one of four Bands.
A Band is a way of describing the priority for housing which you have been awarded. The Band you are placed in depends on your level of housing need.
You may be placed in Band 4 when you first register until we have carried out a full assessment of your housing need. If an assessment is needed this should be done within 28 days of registration.
Within each Band, applications are placed in date order.
If your circumstances change at any time, you must tell us about this as it may affect the Band in which you are placed and the type of properties you can be considered for.
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What are Home Seekers, Home Movers and Home Starters?
You are a Home Seeker if you are considered homeless in terms of homeless legislation. We aim to let 50% of our vacant houses to Home Seekers.
You are a Home Mover if you are a tenant of Falkirk Council, a tenant of a Housing Association or a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) living in the Council area. We aim to let 25% of our vacant houses to Home Movers.
All other applicants are Home Starters.
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What priority will I have for housing?
There are four levels of priority for housing which we refer to as Bands. Band One (the highest level of priority), Band Two, Band Three and Band Four (the lowest level of priority). You will be placed in one of these Bands depending on your level of housing need. The Bands are explained below.
Band One
You will be placed in Band One if any of the following apply.
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You are a Home Seeker who is unintentionally homeless and in priority need in terms of homelessness legislation. This includes applicants living in supported accommodation who are ready for more independent living
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You have been assessed as threatened with homelessness within the next two months
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You are leaving the Armed Forces.
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You have been "looked after and accommodated" by Falkirk Council and are leaving your care placement
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You home is causing significant problems due to your medical condition or disability and you are unable to access or use essential facilities such as the bathroom, bedroom or cooking facilities, or you cannot get in or out of your home , or you cannot be discharged from hospital because your home is not suitable for you.
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You are overcrowded and two or more bedrooms are needed to meet your needs (see What size of house will I be considered for?).
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You live in a one bedroom property and you have two children under the age of 8 years sharing a bedroom with you
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You have two teenage children of different genders sharing a bedroom
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You are a Home Mover living in a house that is too big for your needs.
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You live in a house which lacks standard amenities e.g. a fixed bath or shower with a satisfactory hot and cold water supply.
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You need to be re-housed as a result of regeneration or redevelopment within the Falkirk Council area.
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You are a Home Mover and together with another Home Mover wish to move to a bigger house so that you can live as a family unit. Priority will only be awarded if neither house is big enough for both households to live in and overcrowding will result from both parties living together in their current properties
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You have exceptional housing needs and a multi-agency case conference has recommended that you need to move.
Band Two
You will be placed in Band Two if any of the following apply.
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You are a Home Seeker with no priority need in terms of homeless legislation.
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You are a Home Starter living in the Falkirk Council area with no security of tenure ie you do not have a tenancy agreement for your accommodation.
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You are sharing facilities with another household and you are overcrowded (see What size of house will I be considered for?).
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You are overcrowded and one more bedroom is needed to meet your needs (see What size of house will I be considered for?).
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You are living in a bed-sit.
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You need to move for a social need e.g. to give/receive support.
Band Three
You will be placed in Band Three if any of the following apply.
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You have children under the age of 10 and live in a tenement flat with no access to a shared garden or your own garden.
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You have parental responsibilities for a child whose main home is elsewhere.
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Your independence is limited because you have a medical condition or disability and your current housing is not suitable.
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You have a local connection to the Falkirk Council area eg family reasons or employment.
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You are a Home Starter living in a house that is too big for your needs.
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You are living in the private sector and have a short assured tenancy agreement.
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You are sharing facilities with another household.
Band Four
You will be placed in Band Four if you do not have any of the housing needs listed above.
We will tell you your Band date, which is the date you were awarded your particular Band. If you are Home Seeker with Band 1 priority, the date of award of priority will be from the date you first contacted us to let us know that you are homeless.
For all other applicants, the date of award of priority is the date the relevant assessment was completed or 28 days after the date of application for priority, whichever is sooner.
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What if I have more than one housing need?
You will be awarded only one level of priority. If you have more than one housing need, you will be awarded priority for your highest ranked need e.g. if you currently have points for overcrowding and children in flats, you will be placed in Band One or Two (depending on the level of overcrowding).
If you think that the priority you have been awarded does not reflect your needs, you can ask us to review your circumstances using the Allocations Appeals| process. The Allocations Appeal process leaflet (PDF, 2.28MB)| can also be downloaded.
Secondary Housing Needs – some applicants may have a secondary housing need which restricts the type of property they can be considered for. For example, an applicant may have a Band 1 priority for overcrowding and a medical recommendation for ground floor housing. This obviously limits the type of houses they can be considered for which will restrict their choices. In an attempt to help these applicants get more suitable housing, any relevant medical recommendation will be taken into account when bids are being ranked.
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What choices do I have?
The aim of choice based lettings is to give you more choice over where you want to live and the type of house you want to live in.
When you register you will be asked which allocation area you would prefer to live in. There are ten allocation areas across the Council area based on the High School cluster areas and you can choose as many of theses as you like. The allocation areas are:
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Bo'ness
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Bonnybridge/Banknock
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Braes
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Dawson
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Denny
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Falkirk Central
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Falkirk East
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Falkirk West
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Grangemouth
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Larbert/Stenhousemuir
An allocation areas map (PDF, 153KB)| showing the towns and villages covered by each allocation area is included in the application form (PDF, 195KB)| which is available from the ARC and Neighbourhood Offices/One Stop Shops|.
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What type of house will I be considered for?
We have a range of different types of houses that you can apply for. When we advertise a property we will say what applicant group will be given preference when bids are being considered i.e. Home Seeker, Home Mover or Home Starter.
If you have been awarded Band 1 or Band 3 priority because your home is unsuitable for you due to a medical condition or disability this may include a recommendation of the type of property that will be suitable for you. We will not consider you for any houses that do not match this recommendation, even if you bid for them. For example, if the recommendation is for ground floor housing, you would not be successful if you bid for a house with internal stairs.
If you feel that your health has improved and the recommendation is no longer relevant, you should tell us about this and we will review the priority and any recommendation. This may involve an Occupational Therapist or Housing Visitor visiting you at home. A review may not remove the restrictions on the type of house you can be offered.
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What size of house can I apply for?
We want to make the best use of our housing stock and to do this we have Household Size Criteria as follows.
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Couples are expected to share a room. Couples and single applicants will be considered for properties with 1 or 2 bedrooms.
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Each household member over 8 years of age can have their own bedroom. Priority for overcrowding will not be awarded where two children under 8 years of age of either sex share a room which is larger than 110 square feet (10 square metres).
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If you have two children of the same sex aged 8 years or over they can share a bedroom if you wish.
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If you will wish to move to a house the same size as the one you live in just now, we will not consider any overcrowding priority you may have.
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Due to the lack of larger houses with three or four bedrooms, you can be considered for a property that is smaller than you need if it will still reduce overcrowding.
We recognise that some households may need a home that is bigger than the household size criteria allows e.g. an additional room may be needed because of a medical condition. Any professional recommendation for additional rooms will be taken into account in deciding what house size you qualify for.
Based on the household size criteria above, you will only be able to bid for properties that meet the needs of your household.
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How are Properties Sequenced?
In order to meet our target of allocating 50% of available properties to Home Seekers, 25% of properties to Home Movers and the remaining 25% of properties to Home Starters we have an automatic sequencing process for vacant properties.
This process takes into account the allocation area the property is in, the size of the property, the property type and the date the property became void.
There are ten Allocation Areas and these are listed above .
With in each Allocation Area, properties are grouped into the following sizes:
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bedsit - 2 bedrooms
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3 bedrooms
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4 bedrooms or more
Within each Allocation Area and property size properties are grouped into the following types:
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House/Bungalow
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Four-in-a Block
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Flat/Maisonettes/Multi Storey Flat
Properties are then sorted by the date they became void and sequenced
separately for Home Seekers, Starters and Movers.
Property type has been taken into account from 13 April 2011 (Cycle 49) and this is a rolling process which means that wherever we end one sequencing cycle the next one starts.
Housing with Care properties Level 3 and properties that have been designed or previously adapted for applicants with particular needs are not sequenced. See the section below "Will all houses be advertised?| ".
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Will all houses be advertised?
We will let most of our houses through Homespot however, there are some exceptions and these are explained below.
Adapted Properties - adapted properties will be advertised for "ALL" applicant groups. The advert will say what facility or adaptation is in the property e.g. level access shower, external ramp or fully adapted kitchen. Preference will be given to applicants that need the facility or adaptation.
The following properties are not advertised:
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Housing with Care level 1 and 2 i.e. housing for older people who are physically frail and need care and support services at home (see separate leaflet on Housing with Care (PDF, 297KB).
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If we need to use a property for temporary accommodation as a result of an emergency situation or to discharge our statutory duty in terms of homeless legislation.
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If a property would meet the needs of an applicant with particular needs e.g. someone who cannot leave hospital because their own home is unsuitable then we may re-house another applicant to allow their property to be let to the applicant with particular needs.
These properties will be matched to applicants on the housing register following a full assessment of their particular needs.
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How long will the advertising cycle last?
Properties are advertised every week. The cycle starts at 12.00 noon on a Wednesday and closes at 12.00 noon on the Wednesday 7 days later. All adverts clearly state the closing date for bids to be made.
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What information will be included in an advert?
We aim to make sure that adverts have enough information to help you make an informed decision about whether or not the property is right for you.
An advert will include the following information:
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The address of property
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The property type eg. house, flat, multi-storey flat
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The number of bedrooms
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The heating type
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The rent per fortnight
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Which applicant group will be given preference ie Home Seeker, Home Mover or Home Starter
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Any additional qualifying criteria
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The date and time that bidding for the property closes
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A photograph of the property.
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What do I do if I see a property I like?
When you see a property you are interested in, you should bid for it. You can do this in a number of ways:
If you want to bid for a property you must make sure that we receive your bid before the closing date and time stated in the advert.
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How many properties can I bid for?
You can bid for as many properties as you like in any advertising cycle.
However, if you intend to bid for more than one property, you should enter your bids in order of preference starting with your preferred property.
This is very important because if you bid successfully for more than one property we will assume that the property you bid for first is your first choice, and so on, in the order you chose to bid. If your first bid is successful, we will not consider any later bids you have made, so the order in which you bid is very important.
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What help and support will I get?
Our staff will help you use Homespot until you get familiar with bidding for properties. We can continue to help you if you have particular problems using Homespot.
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How do you decide which bid is successful?
It does not matter whether you make your bid on the first day or the last day of the advertising cycle. Once bidding has closed, everyone who has made a bid for a property will be considered. We will prepare a short-list of suitable applicants who:
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meet the criteria in the advert i.e. Home Seeker, Home Mover or Home Starter and any additional qualifying criteria
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would make best use of the property – for example would use all the bedrooms
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applicants are not suspended for any reason
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have a recommendation for a property type which matches the property advertised (where applicable)
The short listed applicants will be ranked in order of their level of priority.
If there is more than one applicant with the same level of priority, the property will be offered to the applicant that has had that priority longest. For applicants in Band 4, this will be their date of application.
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What will happen if there are no bids from the preferred applicant group?
If there are no bids for a property from the preferred applicant group stated in the advert, other bids will be considered in the order of Home Seeker, Home Mover and Home Starter. These bids will be short listed and ranked as explained above.
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How will I know if I am to be offered a property?
If your bid is successful you will normally be contacted within 7 days of the closing date. If you are not available when we try and contact you a letter or card will be left at the address you have given us on your application asking you to contact us urgently. It is very important that you respond quickly. If we do not hear from you within 48 hours it will be considered that you are refusing a potential offer of housing which means that the offer will count as one of your offers of housing. Your application will also be suspended for 28 days and if you do not contact us within the 28 days, to let us know that you are still interested in housing, your application will be cancelled.
If you have not heard from us within 14 days of the closing date, it is unlikely that you have been successful on that occasion and you should keep bidding for properties which suit your needs.
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What happens if I refuse a property?
We hope that if your bid is successful you will accept the property you are offered. However, if you decide to refuse the offer the following would apply.
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If you are a Home Seeker in Band One, we will make you an offer of housing out with Homespot to discharge our statutory duties (see What is Time Limited Priority for Home Seekers?).
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If you are a Home Seeker in Band Two and you refuse 2 properties, you will move from a Home Seeker to a Home Starter. Your priority for homelessness will be removed and your housing situation will be re-assessed.
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If you are a Home Mover or Home Starter and refuse 2 properties you will loose any priority for housing need and move to Band Four. After 12 months you can ask to have your situation re-assessed.
You have a right to appeal this decision|.
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What is time limited priority for Home Seekers?
If you are a Home Seeker, you have been awarded a high level of priority to reflect your urgent need for housing. As such, we expect you to bid for all properties which meet your household needs.
We also expect you to register with Link Housing Association's HomeHunt scheme and we may nominate you for any suitable vacancies which local housing associations (RSLs) may have.
We will monitor the bids you make and if you do not bid for suitable properties within three months of being placed in Band One, we will make you an offer of housing out with Homespot.
We will try to offer you a property in the areas you have chosen but this will depend on the availability of properties. This offer of housing will discharge our duty to you in terms of homeless legislation.
This arrangement to offer out with Homespot will also apply if:
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you successfully bid for a property and then refuse it
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you do not bid for suitable properties advertised by Link Housing Association through their HomeHunt scheme
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you refuse a property offered under nomination arrangements
If you refuse an offer of housing that we make to you out with Homespot your applicant group will change from "Home Seeker" to "Home Starter". Your priority for homelessness will be removed and your housing situation will be reassessed. If you are living in temporary accommodation provided by the Council, you will have to leave this.
If, during the three month period, there have been no suitable properties advertised or your bids have been unsuccessful, you will continue to be a Home Seeker in Band One. We will continue to monitor your application to make sure you are bidding for properties which meet your household needs. If you are living in temporary accommodation provided by the Council, you can continue to live there.
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How will I find out about which properties have been let?
We will publish information about properties that have been let in previous advertising cycles. We will tell you the number of applicants that bid for the property, the Band and the Band date of the successful applicant. We will not publish personal information about the successful applicant, such as name and address.
This information will be available on our Homespot website and at our Neighbourhood Offices/One Stop Shops|, ARC, local libraries and in local housing association offices.
We hope that this feedback will give you a better idea of how popular a particular property or area is and how long you would normally have to wait. You can then decide whether to look for other types of properties or areas where you may not have to wait as long.
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