Locata
Five London boroughs (Harrow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Hounslow and Brent) and three housing associations (PCHA Housing Association, Ealing Family and Paradigm Housing) have joined forces to promote a new way of helping you to find a new home. Rather than the council or housing association finding and allocating you a property, you will become a member of Locata and actively search for a home. This system gives you more choice about where you want to live, including transfers to properties in the other four boroughs.
How do I search for a home?
All vacant homes are advertised every fortnight in the
LocataHOME magazine. This is available
from area housing offices, libraries, supermarkets and
customer service centres, or can be sent to you for a small
subscription fee (£10 for six months). Advertised properties
are open to
bids from existing council tenants and
from people on the housing register.
Once you are registered for housing, you will be told:
- your priority band and priority date
- your Locata identification number
- if you are a homeseeker or a transfer
- the maximum number of beds you can bid for
You can use the LocataHOME magazine or the LocataHome website to bid for suitable vacant properties. Adverts give details of who is eligible to apply, for example:
- homeseekers or transfers or both
- numbers in household
- mobility levels
Read the adverts carefully to check you are eligible for the property you want. Symbols at the top of each advert explain who can apply. The key to symbols appears on the inside cover of LocataHOME.
Bidding
for a property
You can bid for up to three properties per edition of
LocataHOME. Before bidding, you should make a note of the
three-digit reference number in the advert and the release date of
the magazine. You can bid:
- by telephone on 0906 294 2012
- online at www.locata.org
- by using your bidding coupons - call 0906 294 2013 to order more coupons
You must make your bid before the deadline (printed at the bottom corner of the front page of LocataHOME). Bids received after the deadline will not be considered.
Recent lettings are also listed in LocataHOME. These show the number of bids for each property and the successful tenant's band and waiting time. Measuring your own priority rating against those who were successful can help you decide what to bid for.