What is Homes4Wiltshire?

From March 2009, Wiltshire Council has launched its new choice-based lettings service called Homes 4 Wiltshire. Adverts will be available every Thursday on the Homes 4 Wiltshire website and will be displayed at local information points throughout the county such as doctors surgeries and parish notice boards. If you have any questions about your application you can contact the Homes 4 Wiltshire team on 01380 734734.

Which areas does the partnership cover?

Homes 4 Wiltshire covers all of the new Wiltshire Council area which is North and West Wiltshire, Kennet and Sailisbury.

Which Housing Associations are part of Homes 4 Wiltshire?

New Futures
A2 Winchester Housing
English Churches Housing Group
Fosseway Housing Association
Guinness Trust Housing Association
Hanover Housing Association
Hastoe Housing Association
Housing 21 Housing Association
James Butcher Housing Association
Jephson Housing Association
John Groom Housing Association
Kennet Housing Society
Kingfisher Housing Association
Knightstone Housisng Association
New Downland Housing Association
Orbit Housing Association
Raglan Housing Association
Ridgeway Community Housing Association
Salvation Army Housing Association
Sarsen Housing Associaton
Somer Community Housing Trust
Sanctuary shaftesbury Housing Association
Signpost Housing Association
South Western Housing Society
Sovereign Housing Association
Swaythling Housing Association
Westlea Housing Association
Western Challenge Housing Association
West Country Housing Association
Selwood Housing
Wiltshire Rural Housing Association

How do I apply for housing?

You can apply for housing by filling in an application form. You can get a form by:
• Visiting the Council Offices in Chippenham, Trowbridge, Devizes or Salisbury
• Contacting Homes 4 Wiltshire at Browfort, Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 2AT. Telephone on 01380 734734
• Visiting Westlea Housing Association, Methuen Park, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 0GU;
• Telephoning any of the partner housing associations listed above who will send a form out to you
• Downloading a copy from the Homes 4 Wiltshire website at www.homes4wiltshire.co.uk

Who can apply to go onto the housing register?

• Anyone over 16 years old who wants to live in North Wiltshire.

However, by law we cannot provide housing for you if you:
- are under immigration control (this generally means that you are not a British citizen and need permission to enter or stay in the United Kingdom);
- do not normally live in the United Kingdom (even if you are not under immigration control); or
- have a record of committing serious antisocial behaviour in the past.
What do I do when I have filled in the application form?
You should send the form and photocopies of any supporting information needed (for example, your passport, or photo driving licence) to:
Homes 4 Wiltshire, Browfort, Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 2AT

What happens when I send in my application form?

Your application will be assessed on your current circumstances and placed in a band. The bands are: Platinum, Gold Plus, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

You will receive a letter confirming your band and giving you a reference number. When you receive this you will be able to bid for homes.

How will homes be advertised?

Homes will be advertised in the following ways:
• Libraries and mobile libraries within the Wiltshire Council area will be advertising the properties in a hard copy and allowing free access to the internet
• All Wiltshire Council offices will display the weekly advert
• Housing Association offices will display the weekly advert
• Local agencies, shops and community centres etc will advertise the properties weekly

Bidding Cycle

Homes will be open for bidding on Thursday from 00:01am and the bidding cycle will close on Monday at 23:59 pm.

How can I bid for a home?

Customers can bid in the following ways:
• Online – www.homes4wiltshire.co.uk
• By phone – Bid line 0845 270 2500
• In person at Local Authority offices
• In person at a local library
• There is an autobid function which can bid for customers preferred area of choice and their preferred accommodation type when they become available

What if I am unable to bid for myself?

Homes 4 Wiltshire will be working with friends, family and support networks to help applicants who are unable to access adverts.
Where there are no support networks in place and the customer is considered to be vulnerable, Homes 4 Wiltshire will send them a copy of the advert. If this might apply to you, please contact Homes 4 Wiltshire on 01380 734734

What else can I do?

You may be able to rent a home from a private landlord. These properties are usually advertised in local papers or through lettings agents. If you are on a low income, you may be able to get help with the rent through Housing Benefit. More information about housing benfit is available for Wiltshire Council. You may also want to consider shared ownership. These schemes let you buy a share of a home and pay rent on the rest. If you would like further information, please contact:

New Futures
2 St Michaels Court
Brunswick Road
Gloucester
GL1 1JB
Telephone 0800 073 1315.

What should I do if I am going to lose my home?

If you are likely to lose your home you should contact the Housing Options Team at the Council. The number for the Chippenham area is: 01249 706111.

What if I am already a Housing Association tenant and I want to do a mutual exchange?

If you would like to be registered onto a mutual exchange list you should contact homeswapper at www.homeswapper.co.uk

What is HomeSwapper?

This is the UK’s largest list of social housing tenants looking to swap homes. When you have registered with them they will find you potential swaps and send you match alerts. Westlea also have a paper copy of the homeswapper lists at Methuen Park if you prefer to come in and view it that way. There is usually a charge for the service, however if, like Westlea, your landlord is a partner organisation, the service will be free. If you have any problems accessing this service, please contact your landlord.

Who should I contact if my circumstances change or I need more information?

You should contact Homes 4 Wiltshire by telephone on 01380 734734, by post to:

Homes 4 Wiltshire, Browfort, Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 2AT
or via their website at www.homes4wiltshire.co.uk