Bidding for homes

If you are on the housing list you can bid (apply) to rent one of the properties that we advertise. You must register your interest in a home with us to be considered for it.

We advertise every home that becomes available to let. Information about available homes can be found:

in East End Life
on the Tower Hamlets homeseekers website
at housing offices
at one stop shops
at partner landlord offices
at homeless services reception

How to bid

You can bid for the advertised properties you want by:

lodging a bid for properties at the Tower Hamlets homeseekers website, or
using our automated telephone line on 0845 270 2400 which is available in Bengali, Somali, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Urdu as well as English

You can also withdraw bids if you change your mind by using the website or telephone bidding systems.

What happens once I have made a bid?

When bidding for a property has closed, we draw up a list of all the bids received and sort them according to the priority for housing based on the needs outlined in the Tower Hamlets Lettings Policy.
We will make our decision about which applicant should be offered the property, and contact them to arrange a property viewing
Due to the vast number of bids we receive per property, we are unable to contact unsuccessful bidders
You will improve your prospects for being successful if you widen the choice of properties you bid for each week.

What happens if I am offered a property?

If you are offered a property:

We will make checks to ensure that your circumstances haven't changed, e.g. you are not in rent arrears, the members of your family have not moved
You will have an opportunity to view the property and decide whether you want to accept it. You are expected to make a decision as soon as possible, but normally no later than the day after you view the property
If you view a property on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday you will usually be expected to move in to it on the following Monday. If you view the property on Thursday or Friday, you will usually be expected to move in on the second Monday after the viewing.

You may be asked to view a property that is not yet ready to move in to. If this happens we will tell you when you can expect to move in to it.

If you refuse a home that is offered to you your application will remain active and you will still be able to apply for available homes.

Different rules apply if you are registered with the Homeless Service. Please contact your homeless team for more information.

If your application is in the community priority group (except for those with an assessed health need) your priority will be withdrawn.

You can ask us to review the decision to withdraw any priority award. We will consider every review on its merits. Please see the Lettings policy Appendix 3 – Right of Review, for more information.

For more information please take a look at our Lettings Policy.

For all other information contact:

Lettings customer services team