Bid for council housing
Check if you're eligible and apply to join the housing register.
If you're accepted onto the housing register, we’ll send you a letter. The letter will tell you:
- when you joined the housing register
- your priority date
- the type of home and number of bedrooms you can bid for
- your bidding number (also called your housing registration number)
You can bid for a home through our choice-based lettings service. This allows you to express an interest in a property that meets your housing needs.
We’ll give you all the necessary information about the property in our adverts on the ELLC Choice Homes website.
When to bid
You can bid for two properties a week.
Properties are advertised every week from Friday morning to Monday midnight.
You can bid at any time in the bidding period. It’s not run on a 'first come, first served' basis.
You’ll not be able to bid for properties larger than you need.
When you bid for a property, you’re telling us that you are expressing a serious interest in it.
What you need
You’ll need:
- your login details
- your bidding number. This is on your housing register letter
How to bid for a property
Bid online
You need to log into the ELLC Choice Homes website to bid online.
You’ll only be able to see properties that you can bid for.
If you cannot bid online
- Send a text message to 07781 486 526. It costs the same as a regular text
- Call the ELLC bidding line on 0845 650 4125. It costs the same as a landline call
After bidding closes
When bidding closes on Monday midnight the bids received for each property are ranked according to our allocation policy.
If you have bid for a property, you can log in to view your final bidding position on ELLC Choice Homes website.
What happens next
We’ll contact you only if your bid is successful. We do not contact unsuccessful bidders.
We’ll send you a written offer by letter and arrange a viewing for the property.
Before we invite the successful bidder to view the property, we check to make sure:
- you have all the documentation
- your situation has not changed
- the property is still suitable for you
It's important to tell us about a change in your situation.
We may need more information from you. You’ll need to give this to us within 48 hours. If you do not give the information, you could lose the property.
Problems bidding for a property
The most common reasons you cannot bid for a property include:
- you’re trying to bid outside of the bidding period – you can only bid from Friday to Monday. If you try to bid between Tuesday and Thursday, you get a message
- you’re waiting to view a property after a successful bid you’ve told us your details have changed. We may have to stop your bidding account whilst we update your details
- you need to reset your password on the East London Lettings’ company website
If you turn down the property
You must tell us why you’re refusing the property. Your position on the housing register will be affected.
If you live in temporary accommodation and turn down a suitable property, we may:
- ask you to move out of your temporary accommodation
- lose your priority on the housing waiting register
If you’re statutory homeless and thinking about refusing an offered property we recommend you get independent advice.
