When you bid, you will need to think about the number of bedrooms you need and whether you can afford to top up the benefit if it doesn’t cover the rent.

Who is entitled to a bedroom?• A couple • A person aged 16 or older • Two children of the same sex

until their 16th birthday• Two children until their 10th

birthday (any sex)• Any other child• Where the claimant or

their partner requires over night care.

One extra bedroom = 14% reduction in benefit (£12.50 a week for a three bed home)

Two extra bedrooms = 25% reduction in benefit (£22.50 a week for a three bed home)

You will need to pay any shortfall in the rent.

Heather Leary, Money Smart Manager at Wolverhampton Homes, said: “These changes are huge and you need to make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew.

“You might be tempted to bid on homes that would give you a spare bedroom but if you can’t afford to top up your housing benefit or pay the full rent, you will fall into arrears and could lose your home.

You can visit our website and search ‘cost of running a home’, so you can work out what you can afford visit www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk

Our Tenant Matching service might be able to help. We can help you find another tenant who would like to exchange homes with you so you could both find a home that’s right for you. We will:• Provide help throughout the

process to help you find an exchange.

• Accompany you on viewings and give you advice on future Decent Homes work.

• Offer flexible incentives to help your exchange take place such as help with removals.

For more ways to help you move home see page 2.

Tenant Matchmakers

If you are concerned about changes to benefits or would like our Tenant Matching Service to help you find your new home contact 01902 556789.

Are you bidding on the right type of homes?

Are you a tenant who wants to move to a new home? Do you keep bidding with no success?

In April, 2013, if you are of working age (below pension credit age, 61 from April 2013), the Government will no longer pay full Housing Benefit if you under-occupy your home. You will receive benefit for the number of bedrooms you need not the number of bedrooms you have.

Homes in the City

...the smart way to �nd an a�ordable home in WolverhamptonAugust 2012 ...the smart way to �nd an a�ordable home in Wolverhampton

Tenants who release a larger home get special preference on half of the flats, maisonettes and bungalows that we advertise. This is because they help other families move to much-needed larger homes.

We also have a range of services to help with your move including:

•Packing and removal services

•Decoration of your new home and new carpets

•New white appliances or disconnection and reconnection of your own appliances

Kathryn Simmons from All Saints recently moved to a bungalow with the help of our House Release scheme. She said: “I was living in a three bed house and found out about the changes with this Welfare Reform Act. I was worried about the rent I’d have to pay because I had spare rooms so I decided to move to something smaller.

“I phoned Wolverhampton Homes and they told me about all my options. I filled in a form for Homes in the City but I haven’t got a computer at home. They told me someone could bid for properties for me through the Assisted Bidding Scheme.

“I saw a bungalow that I liked and I was thrilled when my bid was successful. Wolverhampton Homes helped me arrange my removals, carpets, and disconnected my cooker and reconnected it in my new home.

“I couldn’t have done it without the advice and help of Wolverhampton Homes. I didn’t even know how to bid.

“I’m so happy now as I felt stressed in my old house. Now I’ve got a bungalow I can be really settled. It’s also good to know that I’ve helped give a family a new home.”

Contact 01902 556789 if you would like to move to a smaller home.

Help to move to a smaller home

If you want to move from your house to a flat, maisonette or bungalow, we can help.

August 2012 I Homes in the City

Your Questions AnsweredQ. What happens when I am

invited to a group viewing on a home that I have bid on?

A. Group viewings are organised to speed up the lettings process so new tenants can be identified more quickly. They are organised once the advertising cycle closes. Bidders of a property are invited to the group viewing so that they can look around and see if the property is right for you.

Before the viewing we will tell you your position on the short list for that property. We allocate homes in housing priority order, so the customer with the most priority will be considered first. If they refuse the offer, it will be offered to the next customer on the list and so on until a new tenant is identified.

Please note: An invitation to a group viewing is not an offer of the property.

Feedback on bidsFeedback on the properties we advertise is available on www.homesinthecity.org.uk and in our One Stop Shops. It tells you how long the successful bidder has been registered, their band and need.

Don’t miss out on an offer

If you are offered a home, you will need to provide proof of your identity and address. Make sure you have these documents ready. If you can’t provide this proof, you could miss out on an offer of a home. If you have been successful with a bid, we will contact you. Please don’t contact us.

Help with bidding If you are struggling with bidding, we can help. We are currently supporting 169 customers each week. If you need help contact us on 01902 556789.

Mobility You need to tell us if you have any difficulty with stairs or steps. Ground floor flats are advertised with a preference to customers who are elderly or have limited mobility. If we don’t know that you need a ground floor home, you could miss out. Contact us to update your housing application.

Did you know?

What is housing fraud?• Keeping a property but living

somewhere else or subletting (including to family members)

• Telling lies to get a property or about who lives in the property

• Telling lies to buy a property under the Right to Buy

• Key selling – passing the property keys to another person in exchange for money.

We have a dedicated fraud team who work closely with benefits agencies, the UK border agency, other housing providers and local authorities. They compare and share information to detect fraud.

Since the start of the fraud project:• 86 properties have been

recovered from fraudsters and have been re-let to people in genuine need.

• We have been able to give 19 homeless families a home.

If you suspect housing fraud, you can report it to us. All reports, including those made anonymously, are taken seriously. If fraud is discovered we take immediate action to take back the property, including court action if necessary. Phone 01902 556789 or visit www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk and search ‘fraud’.

Tenancy Fraud

You told us that you wanted us to do more to tackle housing fraud. So in 2010 we set up a Housing Fraud Project.

Don’t forget that the information you give to us when you apply for housing will be checked and shared with other departments.

Anyone who supplies false information or doesn’t tell us something that we should know risks losing their tenancy and may be prosecuted.

Feedback on bidsFeedback on the properties we advertise is available on www.homesinthecity.org.uk and in our One Stop Shops. It tells you how long the successful bidder has been registered, their band and need.

Don’t miss out on an offer

Did you know?

What is housing fraud?Keeping a property but living

If you suspect housing fraud, you can report it to us. All

Tenancy Fraud

You told us that you wanted us to do more to tackle housing fraud. So in 2010 we set up a Housing Fraud Project.

Homes in the City I August 2012

Homes in the City I August 2012

Between April 2011 and March 2012

✓ We let 1828 homes.

✓ The average relet time from a tenancy ending to the start of a new tenancy was 18 days.

✓ We processed 8,278 housing applications.

✓ 81.5% of offers were accepted first time.

✓ 96% of customers were satisfied with the information provided about how to apply for housing.

✓ 92% were satisfied with the condition of the property.

✓ 97% were satisfied with the lettings process overall.

Only a small number of applicants on the Housing Register are successful in being re-housed. This is because there are not enough homes for everyone.

Give Us Your Feedback

Your name

(or you can give feedback anonymously if you wish)

Your address

Your postcode

Your telephone number

How satisfied are you with the information in this newsletter?

o Very satisfied o Satisfied

o Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

o Dissatisfied o Very dissatisfied

Return to: Lettings Team, Wolverhampton Homes, Alfred Squire Road, Wednesfield, WV11 1XU

Check the StatsThe number of people on the housing register is 11,637 (May 2012) and has fallen slightly over the last six months.

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Contact us Call us on 01902 556789

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