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Frequently Asked Questions

Click the 'Register' button at the top right of the screen.
The properties advertised on Salford Home Search are mainly owned and managed by Housing Associations and Registered Social Housing Providers. Legally we have to check you are eligible to join the Register. The information you provide will ensure the appropriate housing needs are awarded to your account.
After logging in, you can update your contact numbers or email address by clicking on the edit button on the ‘Your Application’ page. If you wish to update any other details on your application, please click ‘Have your circumstances changed?’ You can then complete the change of circumstances form where you can update any changes to your original application. Please be advised any changes to your circumstances will need validating by the Salford Home Search team and your application will be inactive until processed.
Yes. There are some people who are not eligible to join Salford Home Search. These include:
  • If you have no current housing need (for example if you are adequately housed in your property with no threat of eviction or affordability issues).
  • If you have no local connection to Salford.
  • If you have deliberately worsened your own circumstances (for example leaving a tenancy with no suitable accommodation to move in to).
  • If you are subject to Immigration Control under the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act.
  • If you are from abroad and are not subject to immigration control but are not habitually resident in the UK, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Republic of Ireland.

If you or a member of your household has been guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make you or them unsuitable to be a tenant, for example:

  • Owing significant (current or former) rent arrears to any council, registered provider or private landlord. Applicants with arrears may be able to register on Salford Home Search if they are able to demonstrate they have engaged with an appropriate repayment plan which is outlined in the Allocations Policy.
  • Owing rechargeable repairs to a landlord
  • Owing significant mortgage repayments, however there are other criteria to fulfil if you are an owner or owner/occupier applying to join the Register which is outlined in the Allocations Policy.
  • Serious neighbour nuisance/annoyance including anti-social behaviour
  • Unspent criminal convictions where the applicant is considered a threat to neighbours and/or the community, including perpetrators of domestic abuse or hate crime.
  • Being convicted of using/allowing accommodation to be used for illegal and/or immoral purposes such as drug dealing.
  • Serious neglect, damage or abandonment of a previous property.
  • Allowing deterioration of furniture/fittings provided by a landlord due to ill treatment.
  • Abusive or threatening behaviour towards members of staff at the council or any accommodation provider.
  • Having committed an act of fraud, and/or withheld, falsified or misrepresented information pertaining to access to public funds, and/or services including obtaining a tenancy by deception.
  • Having lost previous accommodation provided in connection with employment, due to misconduct.
  • Having been evicted for any other breach of tenancy conditions, regardless of tenure including sub-letting without permission, failure to report repairs, failing to allow contractors to enter the property to carry out maintenance, and/or running a business from the property.

For further information please refer to Salford City Council Allocations Policy which you can find in the Help section.

 

You are able to reset your password by clicking the forgotten password link on the sign in page.

Salford Home Search applicants will be placed into one of three categories on the housing register as follows, depending on circumstances:

General Housing Needs

Applicants are placed in the general needs category if they have a housing need, have not been awarded the main housing duty and do not require an accessible property.

Statutory Homelessness - (section 193, Part VII, Housing Act 1996)

This category is for all applicants who have been awarded the main housing duty by Salford Housing Options Point under Section 193, Part VII Housing Act 1996 (as amended).

Accessible Accommodation

Properties advertised in this category are for applicants with a need for accessible accommodation. This category does not mean that an applicant will be rehoused any quicker than they would be in General Needs, it means their application is in the correct category for their requirements.

Properties advertised in the Accessible Accommodation Category are split into 3 types:

 

  • SN1 – Properties suitable for permanent wheelchair users: Applicants/members of their household, who are permanent wheelchair users and need to use a wheelchair both indoors and outside for all activities of daily living and who require wheelchair adapted housing.

     

  • SN2 – Limited Mobility, no indoor wheelchair use: Applicants or members of their household, who do not use a wheelchair indoors but walk with difficulty, are unable to safely climb any steps or stairs and may need a level access shower. This could include those who may use a wheelchair or mobility scooter outdoors, but not restricted to those.

     

  • SN3 – Mild Mobility Limitations: Applicants or members of their household who do not use a wheelchair either indoors or outside, but who walk with difficulty and can manage some steps to access the property and/or internal stairs infrequently; and who may benefit from access to a downstairs toilet or a wet room/level access shower.
Read Salford City Councils current allocations policy and see what we take into account when we assess your category. If you think your category is still incorrect, contact Salford Home Search to discuss your application.
If you have a medical need to move, please complete the medical questions on your Salford Home Search application. In most cases, you should provide evidence from a suitably qualified medical professional to support your housing application. The evidence provided will be used when assessing the suitable category for your housing needs.
No this is not possible. Salford City Councils allocations policy doesn’t allow additional bedrooms for access arrangements. Please only include children that are living with you on a full time basis, and moving permanently with you on your Salford Home Search application.
Salford Home Search is designed to allow bids to be placed only on properties you are eligible for. If your medical application has been assessed, for example, for SN3 (mild mobility limitations) then you can only place bids on properties that are advertised as SN3. This is the same if you have been assessed for SN2 or SN1, they are the only properties you can place bids on.
Once you have submitted your application, the Team will assess all supporting documents you have been asked to provide. The Team assess applications as quickly as possible, but can only do this when all requested documents and information have been provided. If there is a delay in you providing documents, there will be a delay in assessment. When a decision has been made, an email will be sent to you to explain the decision and advise of any next steps you can take.
Medical applications are processed separately from your Salford Home Search application by a Team Leader or Principal Officer. You will be advised of a decision once the assessment has been completed fully.
When your Salford Home Search application has been assessed, documents verified and eligibility confirmed, your application will be activated and you can start to bid when that happens. You will not be able to bid until all documents have been received and verified.
To be able to bid, you need to be logged in. You can then search through available properties and select a property you wish to bid on. You can only bid on properties you are eligible for, of the correct size and in the category you are placed in. If you find a property you are interested in, it’s suggested you visit the area, check out local amenities and ensure it is a place you would like to live in. Please do not visit properties and knock on doors or look through windows, some properties are advertised before existing tenants move out and it can be distressing for people to encounter this behaviour from strangers. You can also set up property alerts on your account, Salford Home Search then sends an automated email to you to advise of properties that are being advertised. You can also request auto bids to be set up, please speak to a member of the Salford Home Search team for further information.
You are able to place a maximum of 3 bids at any one time. Please only place bids on properties you are prepared to move into as you could be made an offer.
No, if you have been offered a property you will not be able to continue to place bids.
Once bidding closes, the registered provider who owns and manages the property will start to process the shortlist. If you are at the top of the list you will be contacted to discuss the property.
No
Properties are advertised on this website. You have the option to set up property alerts and customers who have difficulty accessing the internet can contact Salford Home Search to request setting up the auto bidding function. This function automatically places bids on up to 3 suitable properties at the point the bid cycle is closing.
Properties are advertised by registered providers who decide how long to advertise a property for. The minimum length of time is 24 hours. You can set up property alerts where emails are sent to you to advise of a property being advertised so you don’t miss out on any suitable accommodation. The advert states when the closing date is and you can’t place a bid after the bid cycle has ended.
There are fewer 4 and 5 bedroomed properties which means they rarely become available. You may wish to consider exploring the private rented sector to open up your options further.
The landlord is working through the bid list and has not yet made an offer to anybody.
You should be contacted and asked which property you prefer. You should be given the choice between the properties, however, if the housing provider can’t contact you, they may make a decision based on the details on your application so they don’t delay offering a property, which could mean losing rental income if a property is ready to let.
Salford Home Search shows your position on a bid list.

You will be contacted by the housing provider who is responsible for that property. They contact you using the contact details you have provided on your application so it is vital these contact details are kept up to date and changed if applicable. If you fail to respond to an offer you could be bypassed or it could be deemed to be a refusal. If you leave details for a ‘Homes Available Now’ property, the landlord will contact you in response to your enquiry.

All offers are subject to a pre-tenancy interview being carried out, and the provider could ask you to provide up to date documents. Please ensure the offer has been confirmed before you give notice to terminate your current arrangements. There are occasions when offers may have to be withdrawn, and occasionally essential repairs could extend the time you are waiting to move in. In these cases, you should contact the housing provider for further information, Salford Home Search doesn’t hold this information.

If you have placed a successful bid and refuse the property for no valid reason, this will be deemed a refusal. If you were to place a further bid, either yourself or allow auto bids to be placed, and refuse the 2nd offer, your application will be removed for 12 months. You can then reapply but your application would be reassessed and the process would start over. Please bear in mind, auto bids are set up by area. Requesting auto bids means you run the risk of a bid being placed in an area you are not particularly interested in. It is a better option to request property alerts which alerts you to a property being advertised and you can decide whether you want to place a bid or not.
The process is the same as above. If you refuse an offer of accommodation, and then place a further bid and also refuse, your application will be removed for 12 months. It is irrelevant whether the bid was placed by yourself or via an auto bid.
If you are owed a homelessness duty and are eligible for Salford Home Search, auto bids are set up at the point the duty is owed. If you are offered a suitable offer of accommodation, the homeless duty is discharged. If you refuse that offer of accommodation, the homeless duty is also discharged. You can request a Section 202 review of the decision to remove the homeless duty but at that stage, your Salford Home Search is removed and you would not have the opportunity to remain on the register and place a 2nd bid. Only if the Section 202 review is overturned and duty reinstated would you be allowed to remain on the register with one further offer of accommodation under the homelessness legislation. If the Section 202 review is upheld, you are removed from Salford Home Search. For further information or advice, please contact Salford Housing Options Point.
Most social housing providers require rent in advance which you need to pay when you sign for a property. This is usually shown when the property is advertised, and is discussed with the provider when you complete a pre-tenancy interview. If this is unaffordable for you please discuss with your new landlord or your homelessness prevention officer if you have one. Please also consider additional costs of moving such as decorating, floorcoverings, soft furnishings, appliances and utilities as these are not usually included. For further information, please see the ‘your moving home checklist’ in the help guides section.
If requested documents are not received within 3 months of completing your Salford Home Search application, and you haven’t made contact to advise why, it will be removed and you would need to complete a new application. If you are waiting for documents to be sent to you, please keep in touch with the Team at Salford Home Search who can advise further.
If you or somebody in your household has a medical condition that would affect the type of accommodation you require, please complete the medical questionnaire on your application. You should also upload any relevant medical information, and supporting evidence from a suitably, qualified medical professional. Medical applications are assessed depending on the suitability of the current accommodation, and the effect that could have on an existing condition. Your application could be awarded additional points for housing medical need (need to move for non-physical needs) or be moved into the Accessible Accommodation category which is where non general needs properties are advertised for example, SN1, SN2 or SN3 properties (these categories and corresponding property types have previously been explained).
Yes, there are occasions where a landlord will choose not to offer you a property. You may not be invited to view or sign for the property for some of the examples below::

 

  • You owe rent or have other housing related debts and have not advised of this, or have not arranged a payment plan to resolve these current or former arrears or debts.
  • You are a tenant and legal action has been taken against you because you have broken your tenancy conditions.
  • You have not provided the required documents to support your application within the timescale specified.
  • Your circumstances have changed which resulted in a change in your needs, and you haven’t advised Salford Home Search, or completed a change in circumstances on the website.
  • You have deliberately provided incorrect or misleading information which has resulted in your application being awarded a higher need than it should have.
  • You have deliberately failed to provide information (for example details of convictions).

Most landlords ask for up to date documents to prove identity and current circumstances. This may be the case even though you provided documents at the point of registering on Salford Home Search as this information could be out of date or no longer relevant at the point of an offer of accommodation.

Properties are not normally furnished, and you are normally expected to provide your own floorcoverings and appliances. If you struggle with this, services such as Salford Assist may be able to help. You can also approach local charitable organisations for assistance.
If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, you should contact Salford Housing Options Point (SHOP) for advice and support. SHOP will work with you to try and prevent homelessness and will discuss your housing options with you. If this is unsuccessful, and you become homeless your options are discussed as part of your homelessness assessment. You may be offered temporary accommodation. If your housing application has been accepted onto the housing register, you should still carry on bidding, however, there is no guarantee of an offer of social housing, so you should also explore the private rented sector for alternative accommodation. If you have an ongoing homelessness case with SHOP and a homeless duty has been awarded, auto bids are set up on your Salford Home Search account and you are eligible for 1 offer of suitable accommodation at which point duty is discharged. This is explained in more detail under the heading ‘I am registered on Salford Home Search and owed a homelessness duty, what happens if I refuse a property?’ You can seek further advice about homelessness by following this link https://www.salford.gov.uk/housing/housing-advice-and-support/
If you have applied to join Salford Home Search and been advised you are not eligible, or don’t qualify, you can request a Section 167 review of that decision as soon as possible. You can do this by email to [email protected], by telephone on 0161 793 3282 or by coming into Salford Housing Options Point on Tuesday or Wednesday between 10.30am and 1pm and Thursday from 12.30pm to 3pm to speak to a member of the Salford Home Search team. You may be asked to provide additional information in writing during the review process. You will be advised of the outcome of the review as soon as possible.
This will depend on your current circumstances. For a full explanation of this, and how bedroom numbers are calculated, please refer to the current Allocations Policy

Bedroom need is dependent on whether a child can share with another child in the household (if there is another). A maximum of two children of the same sex would be expected to share a bedroom up to the age of 21 years. A maximum of two children regardless of sex would be expected to share a bedroom up to the age of 10 years. One bedroom is allowed for any other child. Children of an appropriate age and sex within the same households are expected to share a bedroom regardless of relationship. For example, step-children and foster children where there is no other housing need.

For a child to be considered part of your household, that child must reside within the household permanently. Where you have shared care arrangements for children, you will be allocated an additional bedroom if you have been awarded child benefit for that child unless there are extenuating circumstances. Evidence of extenuating circumstances will be considered on an individual basis. This would be in the form of legal documents showing care arrangements where the parent has the child residing with them 50% of the time. You would only be considered for a bedroom for the child in these circumstances if you are able to demonstrate affordability for an additional bedroom(s).

Depending upon your financial circumstances, you could get financial assistance towards your rent payments. You may qualify for housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, or in exceptional circumstances, a discretionary housing payment.
There is a shortage of social housing in Salford. Most applicants on Salford Home Search will wait a long time to be offered a new home, some applicants will never be offered a property. Depending on your circumstances you may wish to consider other options such as renting in the private sector. If you are a current social housing tenant you can register for a mutual exchange. For more information on how to apply for a mutual exchange, please visit https://www.homeswapper.co.uk.
In order to ensure the needs of the local community are met, and to make best use of the limited social housing stock, a person who doesn’t have a local connection to Salford doesn’t qualify to join Salford Home Search.

 

A local connection is defined as follows:

  • An applicant who has lived in Salford in settled accommodation for a period of 5 years or more, and can verify that connection with relevant documents.
  • An applicant who has a contract of permanent employment and has been in continuous employment within Salford for a minimum of 6 months. The employment can be full or part time, or zero hour contract or self employment. Employment with an agency will not be considered. If an applicant works from home, proof is sought that you have to attend a place of employment, based in Salford as part of your working pattern.
  • An applicant who has been granted leave to remain while receiving support under section 95 of the Asylum & Immigration Act 1996 whilst living in Salford.
  • The requirement to move into Salford to give or receive essential care and/or support from a family member or names contact living in Salford.
  • Residents of Salford commissioned supported housing schemes.
  • Applicants who were initially placed in accommodation in Salford under a Humanitarian Protection Scheme.

There are exemptions to the local connection criteria for households to whom the local authority owes a duty to because they are homeless. For a more detailed list, please refer to the current allocations Policy which can be found under the ‘help’ section on this website.

Yes, the following applicants will be exempt from the local connection criteria: All former members of the Armed Forces (army, marines, naval and air forces) will be exempt from any local connection tests in relation to access to social housing. It should be noted this is regardless of when the applicant last served in the armed forces.
No, you should not go to a property expecting to view it. Properties are often advertised by landlords on Salford Home Search when the outgoing client is still living there, or if a family is still emptying the property after a tenant has sadly passed away. You should not attempt to view the property until you have been offered it on Salford Home Search and the landlord has arranged a viewing with you.
The landlord who has offered the property will arrange for you to view the property. You should not attempt to view the property in advance of this. By all means, have a walk around the general area and check out local amenities, shops, community centres etc.

Complete the medical form on the Salford Home Search application. You will need to provide evidence that the additional bedroom is affordable for you. There are certain exemptions to full contribution towards rent payments (often called the bedroom tax) in social housing which could make a property unaffordable. If you require an additional bedroom on medical grounds you would have to provide the following evidence:

 

  • Proof of payment of mid or higher rate DLA or PIP
  • Supporting evidence from a suitably qualified medical professional advising why you need an additional bedroom
  • A medical diagnosis
Demand for social housing is extremely high and many applicants face a long wait for a suitable property to be offered. Some clients on Salford Home Search will never be offered a property because of the high demand but low supply in the sector. Inclusion onto the housing register does not guarantee an offer of accommodation and cannot give a specific timeframe for being offered a property.

Additional points are added when a homeless duty is owed. They are time limited and expire at the end of that period. If prevention or relief points have been removed, it is because the time they are awarded for has expired. Due to the high demand and low supply of social housing, there is no guarantee you will be made an offer of accommodation during that time period. You should also explore the private rented sector at the same time. Your homelessness prevention officer can advise and assist further.

If you have been awarded the main statutory homeless duty, your points may reduce but this does not affect your position. The position you are within the statutory homeless category is based on the date the decision was awarded that duty.
Salford Property Link (SPL) is a private sector letting agency with Salford Housing Options Point. For further information regarding this service and what they offer, please follow this link Salford Property Link You can email for further information to [email protected]