Not everyone is eligible or able to be considered for social housing. If you have any questions before you apply please check to see if you can answer these by looking at the Allocations Policy.

Usually you will need to have some degree of local connection, personal needs or difficult circumstances in order to qualify. Your priority will be based on the council's assessment of these housing needs. You may then have to wait a long time to be successful (if at all) as there is a very limited supply of social housing property available, especially for larger families.

If you want to start an application (see ‘How do I join the Scheme?’) after completing the first part of the form you will generate an action plan which gives you advice on all the housing options available to you.

Check the junk folder of your email to see if any communication has been held there. If you provided an email address when applying this is the usual way we respond.

If this is not successful please contact the social and supported housing team at the council to check if the application has been received electronically and is awaiting validation.

Please include details of your medical condition in your application and for those included on your application who will be moving with you. If you have any further information you wish to submit, please send it in all together so that we can arrange to get it assessed as a whole. You may be advised that we will need to have information on your application supported by health professionals, and we will contact you should this be necessary.

If your medical needs change significantly please contact the Social and Supported Housing Team email Socialhousing@elmbridge.gov.uk You may need to complete a change of circumstances form or need to provide further information

Please include details of your medical condition in your application and for those included on your application who will be moving with you. If you have any further information you wish to submit, please send it in all together so we can arrange to get it assessed as a whole. You may be advised that we will need to have information on your application supported by health professionals, and we will contact you should this be necessary.

If your medical needs change significantly please contact the Social and supported Housing Team email Socialhousing@elmbridge.gov.uk You may need to complete a change of circumstances form or need to provide further information.

Applications are assessed and awarded a Band to reflect the level of need of the applicant and local connection. There are five bands

• Band A Emergency / Priority need to move

• Band B Urgent need to move.

• Band C1 Identified Housing Need to move.

• Band C2 Identified Housing Need to move.

• Band D Other need / overall reduced priority.

A detailed list of the factors, considered when awarding these Bands, is set out in the Allocations Policy

Applications are given a priority date, which is usually the date they join the register (for Band C1, C2 and Band D.) This date is used to prioritise applicants where applicants are in the same Band. For those applications assessed as Band A or B after full assessment the priority date will normally be the date it was determined that banding applied to the application.

If a change of circumstances affects an applicant’s banding, they will be informed in writing of the outcome of the reassessment. Applicants will retain their original registration date if their case remains as Band C1 or C2 or D.

If you are an existing applicant, log in to Search Moves and on the applicant dashboard /your account click on the blue box labelled ‘Have your circumstances changed?’ This will take you to a version of the application form to complete with your new details, which will enable your application to be reassessed.

Read the allocation policy first, and see what we are able to take into account when we assess your priority This is based on the information you provided when you completed the online form.

If you still think your priority band is incorrect, then contact the social and supported housing team to discuss your application further. You can also speak to CAB for independent advice.

This depends entirely on your level of housing need (priority banding) and the number of properties suitable for your size of household which become available. Some applicants may never be rehoused. Social housing is always prioritised to those in greatest need, waiting time does not contribute to housing need in its own right, but when shortlisting applicants in the same band they will be placed in the order of who has the earliest priority date. Many households may never be housed through Search Moves

Once bidding has closed on the property, a shortlist is produced placing all the bids into an order according to their priority band and date awarded to their application. If you have been shortlisted then you may be asked to provide documents to the Council, in a checking process called verification. Assuming this verification is completed successfully your details will then be sent by the Council to the landlord of the property (this is called a nomination). You will then be contacted by the landlord. You may need to run through some questions to confirm your circumstances before you are able to view the property. You will also need to supply information to the landlord to satisfy them that the property will be affordable for you.

In some situations a property will not be offered to the highest banded applicant who has bid. Shortlisted applicants can be bypassed for a number of reasons and these are set out in the Allocations Policy.

Initial contact will usually be made by the landlord sometimes within a few days of bidding having closed but may often be longer. You would normally only be contacted once the Council has carried out shortlisting and verification processes as necessary and sent a nomination to the landlord. However, if you were not the first shortlisted applicant and other applicants have been bypassed after officers have checked the application or may have turned the property down it may take them longer to work down the shortlist to reach you. Also see Feedback on your bids and ‘How soon can I view the property' in FAQ.

For successful applicants it might be several weeks before you can view the property if major repairs are being done, or you might be invited to view before any minor works are carried out. We know that waiting is an anxious time, and getting your viewing arranged will be a priority for the landlord too. Please don’t start to arrange any removals or deliveries though until you have confirmed when you will get the keys to your new home.

Please make sure that you write down the date and time of your viewing appointment. The landlord may be able to text you a reminder, but if you can’t attend you must let them know. Applicants who fail to attend viewings might have their applications suspended or demoted.

You should only ever go to the property with a member of staff from the landlord company. Remember there may still be someone living there when it is advertised. If contractors are working in the property they will not be able to let you in unaccompanied either, for health and safety reasons.

If you view a property it will almost always be completely unfurnished and without floor coverings. Occasionally some items might be left which would be ‘gifted’ to you to take responsibility for.

There are a number of second hand furniture schemes in this area and your new landlord will be able to offer advice should you need it.

Once the application is submitted, you will not be able to login, until we have checked your application, also known as validation. In some cases, we will need to verify the application obtaining information to support it. If this is needed, we will let you know. Once we are able to confirm the application, we will make it live on our system and you should be able to log on and place bids on Search Moves.
• It may also be that you have input an incorrect application number, or that you have provided an incorrect date of birth on your application. We would recommend you contact the Social and Supported Housing Team. Email Socialhousing@elmbridge.gov.uk Tel 01372 474590 select option 1.

• If you submit the Change of Circumstances form, your application will not be active, until is validated by officers, so you will be unable to login.

• Log into account through www.searchmoves.org.uk

• Click ‘have your circumstances changed’ on the right hand side.

• Enter your username (email address) and password.

• If you cannot remember your password please click ‘forgotten password’ it will then ask for your security question answer, if you also do not remember this click ‘create one now’ which will allow you to change your login details, unfortunately it may not accept your email address again, if it comes up red with an exclamation mark you’ll need to use a different one, if you do not have another email address there’s links at the bottom of the page which will take you to make one.

• Once through the login stage it will take you through the whole form again, eligibility, action plan page, then the full application.

• Once completed it will tell you ‘You have successfully submitted your change of circumstance form’

• We will then receive it, validate it and email you. You will not be able to log back into your account until we have done this.