How we let our homes

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How we allocate our homes

We allocate our homes primarily to people with a housing need.

Up to half of our homes are advertised directly on Rightmove and offered to people with a housing need on a first come, first served basis.  Using the link below you can access Rightmove to browse our homes readily available to let. From the top right hand side of the Rightmove window, you can set up email alerts for when new Jigsaw homes are added.

Homes available now – Click here to visit Rightmove>>.

In addition to this, we also operate a number of Local Lettings Policies.  This allows us to make rehousing offers that fit with local community needs.  In these areas, we can offer priority to working households and people with local community connections.

Any homes set aside for Local Authority nominations are advertised through our Local Authority partners in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, East Midlands, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Register & Bid – Click here to register and bid in the area you are looking for a home>>.

All customers need to be aware that we will charge two weeks rent in advance before we issue keys to our homes.

Homes available now

Each week, we have a number of homes that are readily available to let.  We update this list at least once a week and new homes are added.  You can  check for new properties on our website, on Rightmove>> or by calling connect. These properties are available on first come, first served basis and allocated to people with a housing need.

We encourage our customers to keep checking Rightmove>>  regularly and set up instant notifications when new properties are added.  Due to the popularity of our homes, we take down advertisements as soon as adequate interest has been received.

Eligibility criteria for these homes are included in the description of each property advertised.

Housing Need Categories are as follows (this is not an exhaustive list):

Band 1

  • Assisting those suffering domestic abuse or racial harassment
  • Assisting the local authority with homelessness in the area
  • Assisting ex armed forces personnel with suitable homes
  • Moving into first tenancies (from supported housing)
  • Care leavers with support package
  • Inhabitable home as confirmed by a local authority.
  • High Medical or Welfare: The condition of your home is affecting your health so seriously that it is, or could become, life-threatening, or
    –  You have a disability that is long-term and your accommodation restricts your mobility so much that you can’t carry out most day to day tasks.
    –  You have a condition that means you are at risk of admission to hospital or residential care because there are critical safety concerns in your current accommodation.

Band 2

  • Assisting those moving for employment or for education
  • Moving to provide family support or for caring purposes
  • Applicants that can demonstrate connection to the local community i.e. volunteering
  • Over-crowding in current tenancy
  • Moving because they can’t afford where they currently live
  • Moving into first tenancies (from family homes or currently staying with family/friends)
  • Relationship Breakdown
  • Lodgers
  • Medical or Welfare: You have been assessed on medical or welfare grounds for needing to be rehoused, but don’t meet the high medical or welfare criteria as described in Band 1, or your accommodation is inadequate because it is affecting the well being of a person who is disabled or in ill-health.

Band 3

  • Under-occupancy of current tenancy
  • Those who do not fall into Band 1 or Band 2 but still have an element of housing need and meet eligibility criteria.
Homes through local housing registers

Local authorities operate housing registers to  give people who are applying for a home with a council or housing association, choice about the home they wish to live in.

These are advertised as-and-when they become available and a deadline is set for interested applicants to express an interest in the home.  This is known as ‘bidding’.

The bids for each home are then looked at and the applicant who is assessed to be in the greatest housing need, is usually given first refusal of the property.  We participate in housing registers in each local authority that we have homes in.  Roughly 50% of our homes are allocated this way.

Your step by step guide to finding the right home in your area of choice:

  • Search for homes in the areas of your choice and don’t forget to check regularly as new homes are listed all the time.
  • When you find a home that’s right for you, bid on it. You can bid on more than one home at a time.
  • All bids will be reviewed and shortlisted. These are then ranked from highest priority to lowest. The highest priority will be offered the home first.
  • If you’re successful, and everything’s in order, you can view the home. If you decide that the home isn’t right for you, no problem. We’ll offer it to the next on the shortlist.

Greater Manchester

  • Manchester
Manchester Move>>
  • Salford
Salford Home Search>>
  • Wigan & Leigh
Wigan Council>>
  • Tameside
Jigsaw Tameside>>
  • Trafford
Trafford Home Search>>
  • Rochdale
Rochdale Council>>
  • Oldham
My Move Oldham>>
  • Bolton
Homes for Bolton>>
  • Bury
Bury Council>>
  • Stockport
Stockport Home Choice>>

Lancashire & The North of England

  • Chorley, Preston & South Ribble
Select Move>>
  • Fylde
My Home Choice>>
  • Lancaster
Ideal Choice Homes>>
  • West Lancashire
West Lancs Homefinder>>
  • Ribble Valley
Onward – Ribble Valley>>
  • Craven
North Yorkshire Homechoice>>
  • Pendle
B With Us>>
  • Wyre
My Home Choice Fylde Coast>>

East Midlands & Derbyshire

  • Gedling Borough Council
Gedling HomeSearch>>
  • Stoke
Stoke City Council>>
  • High Peak
  • Rushcliffe
High Peak Borough Council>>

Rushcliffe Council

Cheshire

  • Cheshire East
Cheshire Home Choice>>
  • Cheshire West
West Cheshire Homes>>

Merseyside

  • Sefton
Property Pool Plus>>
  • Knowsley
Property Pool Plus>>
  • Wirral
Property Pool Plus>>
  • St Helens & Warrington
Under One Roof>>
Overcrowding

In defining overcrowding, we consider it reasonable that the following people require their own bedroom.

  • Couple in a relationship and living together
  • Single parent
  • Adult aged 18 years or over
  • Person with supported / documented medical grounds for their own room
  • Child over 10 years of age not to share with the opposite sex
  • More than two children sharing a bedroom
  • Members of separate households living in one property
  • Children of the same sex with an age difference of 10 years and over.
Types of homes we let

We manage the following types of homes:

  • Mainly two and three bed houses for families, with some four, five and six bed houses.
  • Studio apartments and one or two-bed apartments for singles or couples.
  • Supported Housing and Housing for Over 55s.
  • One, two or three-bed bungalows.

Whether newly built or not, all of our properties come with fitted kitchens and bathrooms. Some have gardens, intruder alarms and warden call systems.  All of our properties (apart from some supported accommodation) are unfurnished.

The standard of our homes

When one of our homes becomes empty, we carry out refurbishment works to ensure it meets our agreed Relet Standard.  Most, if not all works are completed when the property is empty, including replacement of kitchens and bathrooms where necessary.

Lettings checks

Before a let is completed, we carry out checks to anyone that has been offered a home from us.  This will help ensure that they are eligible and suitable for this particular home. These checks also help us verify the information collected at the registration stage. Checks can include:

  • obtaining references from previous landlords.
  • Identifying any support needs.
  • medical record checks (if there is a medical reason for needing to move).
Our allocations policy

Jigsaw Homes Group has a vision of ‘Creating homes. Building lives.’ Crucial to achieving our vision is a focus within the allocation of our homes to create and maintain sustainable and balanced communities.

The way we let our available homes is designed to balance the needs of the community with the housing needs of individual households, whilst ensuring the business needs of the Group are met through prompt lettings and minimal void loss. The Group is also committed to meeting its charitable aims.

Our allocations policy frameworks the way in which available homes owned and managed by the Group are let to new applicants and transferring tenants.

The overall aim of the policy is to ensure that all Group social and affordable housing is allocated fairly, efficiently and with transparency, having regard to any legislative and regulatory requirements.

For further information, view our allocations policy HERE.

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