Would-be tenants bid for property

The borough council must give tenants more choice

Social housing is to be offered to potential tenants using a system based on commercial letting procedures.

Northampton Borough Council is to introduce Choice Based Lettings (CBL) as a new way of matching people with vacant properties.

Property will be advertised in the way the estate agents offer sales.

Applicants on the housing register bid for properties on a list and offers are ranked in order of priority. Successful bidders will have the highest priority.

Project manager Alison Hacking said the government was committed to ensuring that council and housing association customers have more choice and control over where they live.

"All councils must have a CBL system in place by 2010. At the moment Northampton Borough Council run a points based allocations system.

"This means that the council awards each applicant on the waiting list a certain number of points depending on their level of housing needs.

"When a property becomes available it is offered to the applicant at the top of the list.

"The successful bidder will be the one with the highest priority under the rules of the allocation scheme."