Urban Choice
All new customers looking for a home to rent need to be registered with Urban Choice. To register you can phone us on 0121 766 1100 or e-mail us at post@family-housing.co.uk for an application form or request a postal form. Family Housing Association no longer operates a traditional waiting list, all available properties will be advertised through Urban Choice and those registered for the scheme will be expected to bid for the properties that are available.
What is Urban Choice?
Urban Choice puts you in charge of finding your new home, offering a clear and transparent system. Urban Choice will advertise available properties weekly through:
● www.urbanchoice.org.uk
● One Stop Property Shop 138 Hamstead Road, Handsworth, B20 2QR
● Urban Choice Newsletter available at your local housing office, library or community centre
How to register
You can register with Family Housing, Midland Heart or Birmingham City Council. Once registered you will be issued with your confidential User ID and PIN, these will give you access to the Urban Choice system.
You are only required to register once with one of the above partners and will be unable to register for Urban Choice with more than one organisation.
How do I select a property?
To select a property you must have your User ID, PIN and individual property advert reference number. You can select as many properties as you like, please ensure you meet the property letting criteria shown in the advertisement. You can then bid for properties either on the website, Interactive Voice Recognition Service and also using SMS Text Messaging.
Once the bidding has closed, Urban Choice will have a list of everybody who has registered an expression of interest for a property. From these lists 6 eligible customers will be short listed for each property and telephoned to invite them to a viewing. Customers will be provided with the date (normally a Wednesday) and time.
At the viewing customers will let the viewing office know if they want the property. If more than one person is interested in making the property their home it will be let to the person who has been registered for the longest. The landlord will let you know if you have been successful at the viewing and make arrangements for you to sign up for the tenancy.
If you would like more information or advice on the services provided by Urban Choice please call us on 0121 766 1100, or contact Urban Choice direct on 0121 551 5588.