View our online housing register site and customer portal 

If you qualify to join our housing register you will be able to apply via our home options website and if you have an active housing register application you will be able to view and update it on this site too.

If you would like more information about applying for social housing in Broadland or South Norfolk, or would like to find out whether you are eligible to join our housing register please contact us.

You can view our Home Options policies below.

Broadland District Council Allocations Scheme

South Norfolk Council Allocations Scheme 

These policies detail who will qualify to join Home Options, the priority bands that customers will be given, the way that properties are advertised and allocated and the size and type of property that customers may be able to apply for.

There is a lot of other useful information about the allocation of social housing in Broadland and South Norfolk in these policies.

Broadland and South Norfolk Councils operate a choice-based lettings scheme to allocate social housing in our districts. If you qualify to join our housing register you will be assigned a priority band and advised which property types and sizes you are able to apply for.

The available properties will then be advertised each week and you will be able to choose which properties you would like to apply for. You will be able to apply for properties in both Broadland and South Norfolk but may be prioritised for one or other district depending on your local connections and where you have said that you would most like to live.

Properties are allocated based on need. Our allocations scheme has five priority bands (emergency, then a-d, with emergency band being the highest band). In addition, connections to specific towns and parishes for local connection properties and particular medical needs for any adapted properties are also used to determine the priority that you will have.

If you have an active application on our housing register, it is important that you keep us updated of any relevant changes regarding your housing.

These may include:

• moving home
• being served notice to leave your home
• if anyone joins or leaves your household
• any changes in income or capital held by you or a member of your household
• changes to your phone number or contact details
• any changes to your immigration status
• if you start a new job or leave employment
• if you fall into arrears
• if your medical needs change
• any issues relating to the urgency of your housing need
• any other relevant changes

Applying (or bidding) for properties on our housing register is very easy, you can apply for up to two properties each week and you only need access to a smart phone, computer or tablet once a week to allow you to bid via your online housing portal. 

Properties are advertised weekly from Thursday and close at midnight on Wednesday. You will have one week from when the properties are advertised to bid and you must bid within that week.

If you do not have access to the internet and are unable to access your customer portal there are options including asking a friend or family member for support, and we will be able to help you with training and guidance to use the portal.

If you have no means to apply for properties and have no friends or family who can help you with this then we can send a weekly newsletter, and in some circumstances, we can help by assisting you with your bidding. This means we will place a bid for you on any suitable properties, however this does limit your involvement and we may place bids on properties that you may not have done so yourself. Please call us if this is concerning you and we will discuss all options with you.

Do I have to bid for properties every week?

If you have been awarded a priority banding due to an urgent housing need then there is an expectation that you will use both bids each week, where possible, due to the urgency of your situation. Failure to do so could impact your application and the consequences of this will be explained to you by your Housing Officer.

For other applications it is up to you when and which properties you bid for. You should only bid for the properties that you genuinely want.

Why can’t I apply for certain properties?

You can only apply for properties for which you are eligible. For example:

• You may be too young for the advertised minimum age of the property.
• Your household is too large or too small for the property advertised.

My position in the shortlist changed

There are many reasons why your position in the shortlist changes during the advertising week and when the advertisement is closed. For example, this can include other residents having high priority need and their local connection to the area being higher.

Will I be able to view property before I decide to place a bid?

No – you will only be able to view a property once you have bid successfully for it and been invited to do so by the landlord. However, the properties advertised will show all the information you need to know, so you can decide whether to apply for it or not. Please note that sometimes photographs used in adverts may not be the exact property being advertised.

Will I be able to view a property before I decide whether to accept the offer?

Yes – once you have bid successfully for a property a viewing will be arranged. You will then have up to two days to decide whether to accept the offer of the property.

The impact of refusing an offer of accommodation can vary depending on your individual circumstances, so it’s important to consider this carefully.

If you are currently homeless or living in temporary accommodation, you should speak with your Housing Officer before refusing an offer, as this could affect the support or duties owed to you.

If you are applying for social housing through the Housing Register, the Housing Allocation Scheme states that applicants will no longer qualify if:

• They have refused three offers of accommodation made through the Housing Register.

Please note that different rules apply if you have priority due to being owed a homelessness duty, where normally only one suitable offer may be made.

We strongly recommend that you contact a member of the Housing Team before making any decisions, so we can provide advice based on your circumstances.

You can contact us at:

• housing.advice@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk
• 0808 168 2222

I've lost my login reference number what should I do?

Your login reference number is on all our letters sent to you. It is a 6 digit number which starts with either a 1 or a 5. If you can't find your reference please contact us.

I've lost my password what should I do?

Once you have entered your login reference you are able to reset your own password following the instructions.

Forgotten Password

Many of the housing associations are developers of new affordable rented homes. These are allocated to applicants on the councils’ housing registers in the same way as other homes that become available for letting.

However new homes built in rural areas may have extra rules that affect the priority of applicants. These rules are due to planning restrictions that ensure the highest priority is given to people with a stronger local connection to the area (village or parish) where the homes have been built.

The details may vary, depending on the council area, but most give priority to applicants who live or work (or previously lived or worked) in the area.

If you bid for these properties and you are not able to show you meet the local connection criteria required, your bid is likely to be skipped. When conditions of this type apply it will be stated in the property advert and you will be invited to contact the Home Options team, or the landlord directly, for more details and advice.

All eligible and qualifying applications are assessed individually to decide what level of priority they should be given. This will depend on their level of housing need.

All applications will be placed into one of the following four bands:

Emergency

• Homeless applicant owed a Relief Duty (likely unintentional) by our council and in interim accommodation
• Homeless applicant owed a Main Housing Duty by our council and in temporary accommodation
• Discharge from Medical Care - dependent on further assessment

Band A

• Urgent medical need
• Applicants downsizing from a social housing property of 3 or more bedrooms in the South Norfolk or Broadland area
• Applicants leaving care within 12 weeks with a connection to our council area
• Disrepair leading to unsafe housing conditions
• Threatened with homelessness within 12 weeks, likely priority need, likely unintentional

Band B

• Rough sleeping and engaging with the council’s rough sleeper service
• Former Care Leavers up to and including 25 years of age with a connection to our council area
• High welfare need
• Applicants giving up a substantially adapted property
• Lacking 2 or more bedrooms
• Applicants downsizing from a social housing property in our area
• Significant medical need
• Lacking essential amenities
• Split household with 2 social properties in district

Band C

• Split household where 1 social property is in district
• Need to move to the district to avoid hardship
• Homeless with no priority need
• Intentionally homeless or likely to be intentional
• Lacking 1 bedroom
• Medium Welfare Need
• Ready to move on from supported accommodation

Band D

• Not able to sustain independent accommodation
• Applicants whose priority has been reduced after 8 weeks in Emergency Band
• Adequately housed
• In Temporary Accommodation and still under assessment

If you are in danger call 999.

If you are a victim/survivor of domestic abuse and require housing support please contact us if it safe to do so at:

• 0808 168 2222
• housing.advice@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk

One of our expert housing team will be on hand to offer you advice and guidance on housing options. We can also help you engage with other domestic abuse support agencies.