How to log in, search for properties and make bids - housingmoves

How to log in, search for properties and make bids

http://homeconnections.org.uk/housingmoves/CFEHome.jsp?selectedMenu=Home

© Home Connections Lettings Ltd housingmoves 2011 Jan 2012 edition - 2 -

How to log in, search for properties and make bids

1 Logging into the website

1.1 Go to www.housingmoves.org and put your User ID and Password in the two boxes at the top

of the page (shown below).

Please note: If you have not registered with the scheme as yet, you will need to click on the

Register button at the top right of the page and complete the registration process. 1.2 After you enter your User ID and PIN select the Sign In button. (You should have received your User ID and PIN when your registration was confirmed). 1.3 If you have forgotten your password or User ID you can use the Forgot Your Password link and have details sent to your email. If you don’t have an email account you will need to contact your landlord. You can get their contact details by clicking on the section Contact Details in the home page or use the Quick Property Search if you know what borough you want to look in. 1.4 Once your User ID and Pin are confirmed, the My Details page will open. 1.5 You can view properties without logging in. Just click on See All Properties on the home page. However, you will need to login to be able to make a bid on any property. 1.6 Once you are logged in the sign in details disappear and you will see the Logout option at the top of the page. You can then move round the site by selecting the links.

Enter your User id and Password in the marked sections and select “Sign In”

Guides to the project and other helpful links are held on the site here



2. My Details page 2.1 The My Details page gives you information about your status on the scheme and your current and previous property bids, and any properties you have viewed. This page also shows all your details so you can check what band you are in and what bedroom size you are assessed as needing.

2.2. My Previous Bids gives you details of old bids where you have not been successful and the

properties have been let to someone else. You can use the dropdown menu next to View results of previous bids to see all your bids or filter your results from the last month, up to a year.

2.3. My Current Bids displays the properties you have made bids on which have not yet been

let. Your bids will be grouped under the following headings:

Properties Still Open for Bidding

Properties Offered to You

Properties Offered to Others – properties you have bid for but have been offered to someone else

Bids Under Consideration – bids you have made on a property but a short list to view the property is not set

2.4. Bids Declined – properties that you have been offered the chance to view or move to but

declined. These remain visible to you permanently.

3 Finding properties 3.1 From the My Details page click on See All Properties button on the left hand side of the page or the View Properties link below your details. 3.2 This will take you to the See All Properties page. The properties you can see are determined by what you can bid on. When you log in you will see properties that match your bedroom size. You can switch between the properties you are eligible for and those you aren’t from the link at the top of the page.

My Previous Bids- goes to older bids

My Current Bids section shows bids you have made on properties that have not been let yet.

To go straight in and look at available properties click the View Properties button



3.3 You can search for properties using a Simple Search or Advanced Search.

3.4 The Simple Search allows you to search for properties by bedroom size, area and property type. You can create a search for one specific bedroom size or several bedroom sizes. You can search for all bedroom sizes at one time by selecting All.

3.5 To search for properties by Area, choose one of the listed London Boroughs. You can also filter your search according to the type of home by using the Property Type drop downs. After you have selected the search filter criteria you want, click the Search button. Note if there are no properties that meet your criteria you will get a message “No Active Records Found”. Remember at certain times of the week you may not find any properties to bid on. 3.6 You can also search for a specific property if you know the advert number by firstly entering the property advert number in the Search by Advert option, and then clicking the Search icon by it. 3.7 The Advanced Search option allows to search by extra criteria and refine your search by using the drop down list options (see 3.9 below)

The bedroom size you are assessed for shows at the top

The bedroom size you are assessed for is selected but you can alter the search by selecting from the menu

Switch between viewing properties you can bid on or not from here

Select values for searching from the options

You can save your settings for the next time you log in



3.8 Properties matching your search will show underneath the Search section. (There are also buttons on the bottom of the page that will enable you to: go back to the My Details page, see the properties on a map or place the bid.) 3.9 You can refine your search further by using the icons underneath the Advanced Search dropdown list. Tick the boxes next to the icons that indicate the type of property you want to include in your search:-

Available - if you un-tick this it will call up all properties that meet the search, including the

ones not open for bidding.

Ground floor- tick to show only properties on ground floor.

Sheltered – tick to show only sheltered properties.

Accessible/adapted – tick to show properties that are assessed as being accessible or

partly adapted for disabled people.

Virtual tours – tick to show properties that have a virtual tour attached.

Parking – tick to show properties that have car parking.

Garden- tick to show properties that have a garden.

3.10 After you have set the search filter criteria you want – click the Search button. Properties matching your search will show underneath the Search section. 3.11 You can save your settings for the next time you come back to the site if you select the option “Save My Search Options” When you log in the next time your filters will be applied automatically. 4.0 Property details and making a bid

4.1 The list of properties gives some basic information. To find out more click on the link on the property address to find out more. This displays more information including rent, location map and photograph. This page also gives you the option to bid for the property.



4.2 In the further details you can check more details of the property and its location and area and if it meets your needs, you can add to your potential bid list from the Add to your Selections button by the photos.

4.3. If you are not able to bid for a property for any reason, the Add to your Selection option will be greyed out and the explanation as to why will appear above it

Select the Add to your Selection button to select the property

Select link on the address to go to the full details

You can see property on a map by selecting the View on map button

You can see property area details from the upmystreet link with info on transport, schools etc



4.4. If you are entitled to make a bid a confirmation message will appear on screen

If you click OK you are back on the property details page. You then have the option to remove the property from your selection where the add button previously appeared.

4.5 You can repeat this process on other properties (though remember you can only have 4 actual bids on open properties at any time) 4.6 You can select more than one property at a time from the list of properties by marking the boxes to the left of each property and then clicking the Place bid button.



4.7 When you have selected all the properties you are interested in bidding for you can view them and make a final decision on which to bid for by viewing the properties you have selected by clicking on the button “View Selected Properties”.

4.8 In the list of your selections you can then mark and bid against the ones you want to make a formal bid for by ticking the mark box and them the Bid button.

Click the box to the left of the property record you want to bid on then click the Add to your selections button

You can select more than one property at a time by ticking boxes next to all the properties you want to select, then selecting the Add to your selections button at the bottom of the page

The View Selected Properties button

will take you to your list. The number next to it shows how many you have selected so far.



As with adding to your selection you can mark several properties at once and use the Bid button at the top or bottom of the list to bid on all of them at the same time. 4.9. You will get a confirmation message that the bid(s) are made.

If there is a problem with the bid you will get a message at the top (in this case the person has tried to make more bids than the allowed limit)

4.10 If you go to log out while you have properties in your selection still you will get a warning that there are properties you have not bid on

Click the box to the left of the property record you want to bid on then click the Bid button



If you press cancel you will stay on the page and can go back to your selections and make your bids. If you press OK you will be logged out and the properties saved will be lost from your selections list.

5. Withdrawing your bid Please note: You can only withdraw bids on properties which are still open for bidding. Once you’ve withdrawn a bid, you can make another bid again in the usual way. 5.1 If you want to withdraw a bid, login and go to the My Details page. Find the bid you want to withdraw from the list under Properties Still Open for Bidding. At the end of the line with that property’s details, click on Withdraw Bid.

5.2 You will then be taken to the Full Property Details page. Above the Add to your Selections box you will see the Click here to Withdraw Bid button.

To withdraw you bid on a property click the Withdraw Bid link, next to the property details.

Click this button, if you are sure you want to withdraw your bid on this property.



5.2 Once you click the Click here to Withdraw Bid button, you will be taken back to the My Details page, with a confirmation message showing.

6. Finding properties without logging in 6.1 If you are not a registered user or want to look at available properties without logging in, you can go to the option See all Properties from the Home Page left hand menu or use the Quick Property Search facility. 6.2 This will take you to the Search for Properties page, showing all available properties. You can change or refine your search criteria but you will not be able to bid on any of the properties until you log in.

After you have withdrawn your bid, a confirmation message will show at the top of your “my details" page. The property shows in the My Current Bids in the Withdrawn Bid List

If you are looking at the list of properties without logging in the option to bid is not present (compare with image in 4.5 above)



7. Checking Your Bidding History 7.1 Until a property you have bid on is let to someone it will show in your My Details page when you log in. If a property is let or withdrawn from the process completely it is moved to your “My Previous Bids” section

7.2 From here you can select to see all your previous bids or all bids in last 6 months, 3 months, month or year. When you then select the Go option next to it you are taken to a page which lists all the bids with the most recent closing date at the top

7.3 Note following points-

Priority column is the priority you had when bidding closed on the property. Your band, points and Qualifying Date may all have changed since then.

Winning Priority is the band, points and Qualifying Date of the person who the property was let to

If the property has not been let there will be no value in the Winning Priority field. If it has been formally withdrawn this will be marked in the column (see example below).

Your Bid Position-lists what position you were out of the bidders on the property. E.g. if there were 10 bidders and you were 5th it will display as 5/10.



Notes- shows the notes on the property at this point. If your bid has been bypassed for any reason this will show in bold at the end of the notes.

7.4 So if it appears that a property has been let to someone who was a lower priority than you, you can see notes about the property that explain who will be given preference for the property and the Bypass Reason staff have given.

If your bid was bypassed the reason is shown at the end of the notes in bold



Telephone & Text (SMS) Bidding



1. Telephone Bidding Before logging in you should have your User ID and PIN with you and the advert numbers of properties you wish to bid on or check the progress of your bid on. Step 1 call the bidding number 0845 839 8986. Step 2 Select the Language you would like to listen to the messages in when prompted. (Press 1 for English, etc) 2 for Sylheti, 3 for Cantonese, 4 for French, 5 for Somali, 6 for Turkish, 7 for Arabic, 8

for Punjabi, 9 for Urdu, 10 for Vietnamese, 11 for Portuguese, 12 for Bengali, 13 for Spanish, 14 for

Polish, 15 for Twi, 16 for Yoruba , 17 for 1Italian, 18 for Hindi, 19 for Gujarati Step 3 Enter your User ID number Step 4 Your User ID will be played back to you Step 5 Enter 1 to confirm the number or 2 to re-enter it Step 6 After confirming your correct User ID you will be asked to re-enter your PIN number. Enter your PIN. Step 4 Your PIN will be played back to you Step 5 Enter 1 to confirm the number or 2 to re-enter it When you are logged in successfully you will hear



Placing a Telephone Bid “Press 1 to place a bid press, 2 to get your shortlisted properties, press 3 to review a bid in progress” Step 1- press 1 to place a bid after you have been played the main menu options. Step 2 - enter the advert number of the property you would like to bid for. The numbers are read back to you and you are asked to press 1 to confirm or 2 to re-enter/ If there is a recorded description of the property you will then hear a recording of the details of that property. If not you will hear a system message that “there is currently no description recorded for this property”. If you have entered an incorrect advert number you will hear the message “You have entered an invalid advert number”

Press 1 to complete your bid. If you decide you do not wish to bid on the property, Press 2 and you will be taken back to the main menu.

Checking your Shortlisted Properties After you have logged in you will hear the main menu options which are: “Press 1 to place a bid, press 2 to get your shortlisted properties, press 3 to review a bid in progress.” Press 2 after you have been played the main menu options. If you are shortlisted for any properties you will hear a message telling you how many properties you are shortlisted of and then the advert numbers will be played to you. If you are not shortlisted for any properties you will hear: “You are not shortlisted for any bids at the moment. “ After you have been played your shortlisted properties you will then hear: “Press 1 to listen again, press to review a bid press 3 to go back to the main menu” If you have finished hang up.



Reviewing Bids Note you will need the advert number of the property you are checking to do this After you have logged in you will hear the main menu options which are: “Press 1 to place a bid, press 2 to get your shortlisted properties, press 3 to review a bid in progress.” Key in 3 and you will be asked to enter the advert number of the property you would like to get feedback on. Enter the advert number in your telephone keypad and it will be played back to you to confirm Press 1 to confirm or 2 to re-enter You will then be given feedback on the progress of your bid on this property. Depending on the status of the bid you will hear one of the following messages- “You have not placed a bid on this property” “Bidding has not ended for this property - please check again after the closing date” “Sorry, the shortlist for this property is still being assessed. Please try again later” “Congratulations you have been short listed for this property - please contact the Rehousing Section to get details as soon as possible” “This property has been offered to you - please contact the Rehousing Department if you have not done so already to arrange your tenancy” “You have been let this property” After you have been played the feedback on your bid on the property you will hear the main menu: Press 1 to listen again, press to review a bid press 3 to go back to the main menu. If the connection is lost to the system at any point the message ““I’m sorry there is a problem with this service at the moment. Please try later.” will be played.



2. Placing a Text (SMS) Bid Texting in your bid is simple. Simply text ‘Bid#’ followed by your User ID, followed by a #, followed by your PIN, followed by a #, and then the advert number. For example:

Bid#123456#010293#418795 User ID PIN Advert Number

You can send more than one bid request through on the same text. To do this, simply add another # and advert number. For example:

Bid#123456#010293#418795#265748 Send your text bid to:

447537410434 You will receive a response advising if your bid has been successful or not within 15 minutes of your text being received.


Documents

How to log in, search for properties and make bids - housingmoves