In the autumn of this year, Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) will be changing the way that it homes are allocated. This will be done through a Choice Based Lettings (CBL) scheme, which will be known as Homesfirst.

The Government requires all local authorities to introduce a Choice Based Lettings (CBL) scheme by 2010. While this is not a legal obligation for housing associations, it is seen as good practice. It was also one of the promises that were made to customers as part of the Transfer Agreement when the housing stock transferred from Stafford Borough Council to SARH in 2006.

The scheme is very simple and is made up of the following key stages:

• SARH advertises its empty homes on a weekly cycle
• Applicants will bid for any empty home of their choice
• SARH will close the bidding and then offer the home to the successful bidder

Properties will be advertised on SARH’s website, in a weekly property freesheet available at SARH offices, in local libraries and at Stafford Borough Council’s Civic Centre.

During July and August we will write to everyone who is on our current Housing Register to ask them to apply for the scheme. We will no longer have a paper application form and so applicants will need to complete the on-line application on our website www.homesfirst.sarh.co.uk. To make sure that no one misses out, we will be offering support for those people without access to the internet.

Applicants who are registered on the Homesfirst CBL scheme will be able to bid for homes they qualify for using the website, by telephone or in person at one of our offices. There are some rules about what type of properties that people can bid for, based on household need and circumstances.

The idea behind the scheme is that the customer is in control of the process and makes a “choice” of what homes they want to apply for that have been advertised. If customers are more involved in choosing their home we believe they will feel more committed to and settled in the community in which they are living.

It is important to be aware that CBL does not mean that there are any more homes available but the rules are simpler to understand and the process is more open and transparent to the customer.

More details will follow as we get nearer to the launch date. In the meantime, SARH will continue to let its empty homes using its existing Allocations Policy

Help and advice is available by telephoning 0800 111 4554.