Before getting in touch, please take the time to look at our FAQs.
We've answered many of the most common questions we're asked, which means you may be able to find the information you need straight away.
If you're a Nottingham City Council tenant and you have a question about your tenancy, please visit the Nottingham City Council Housing Services website or click on the relevant links below:
For a step-by-step guide to help you with the process for registering with Nottingham HomeLink, download the guide that's available on this page: Nottingham HomeLink Registration Guide.
We also have a number of guides to help you use Housing Online, available on this page: Housing Online Guides
You'll find your application number on your Housing Online account - beneath the welcome message in the Choice Based Lettings section (when the current advert is live) as well as under saved and submitted housing applications. It will also be on any letters or emails that you've received about your application. If, after trying all these locations, you still can't find it, please contact us. You'll need to let us know your name, date of birth and address.
Once your application is submitted, it'll be assessed in date order to find out whether you qualify to join the Housing Register and what priority you're given. Due to the number of applications we receive, this may take several weeks. We'll let you know the outcome in writing once your application's been assessed.
Unfortunately, we can't provide progress updates while your application is awaiting assessment. There's no need to contact us during this time.
Once your application has been assessed, we'll be in touch with the outcome.
You can upload your identification documents as part of the online application process done through Housing Online. More information about this, including step-by-step guides can be found on this page: Making it easier to provide identification.
We no longer accept documents by email or post.
Unfortunately we can't tell you your position on the Housing Register. We also can't tell you how many applicants are ahead of you or when you're likely to receive an offer.
Each time a home is advertised, we don't know who will apply for it or what priority those applicants may have.
Please continue to bid for suitable homes and we'll contact you if you're successful.
Whatever the change, it's important that you let us know as this might affect the priority you're given for housing. You must already be on the Housing Register before reporting a change.
Please complete the Change of Circumstances form and provide any supporting evidence required.
This is the only form you should use to report a change in your circumstance.
Once you've been offered a home, your viewing and sign-up will be handled by our Lettings Team. They will contact you when it’s ready to view.
We're sorry but we can’t provide any further updates until the home is ready and the Lettings Team contacts you directly.
If you qualify for a move on social grounds, take a look at the Allocations Policy for the process for this.
If you think you have been put in the incorrect band, you have the right to appeal this decision. Click here to complete the short appeal form.
Band D is the band that is allocated to people who are eligible for our Retirement Living homes. For more information about retirement living, click here.
You'll need to be on the Nottingham Housing Register to be able to place a bid. To make a bid, log into Housing Online and click the 'Choice Based Lettings' tile and then click on 'properties you qualify for' from the actions' menu.
From the property list choose ‘view details’ and ‘add to basket’ if you're interested in a particular home. If you wish to bid for another home, click on ‘return to list of properties’ and repeat the process.
When you have made your bids, click on 'View your basket'. If you wish to remove any homes from your basket before submitting your bids, put a tick in the box on the left-hand side of the property you want to remove and click 'remove'.
When you are ready to place your bids, click 'apply'. You will see a message that your bids have been accepted.
To remove a bid after it has been submitted go to the action menu, choose – ‘current bids’, place a tick in the box on the left and then click on ‘withdraw bid’. Please note that you can only withdraw a bid while the current advert is live.
Demand for housing in Nottingham is very high and many applicants bid for the same homes.
Homes are allocated in line with the Allocations Policy, taking account of priority and time on the Housing Register. Unfortunately, this means it can take time before an offer can be made.
We’re sorry but we can’t advise when you’re likely to receive an offer, as this depends on the number of homes available, the applicants bidding for them, and their relative priority.
The advert goes live on a Friday at noon and closes the following Wednesday at 11.59pm. Homes are allocated by priority and time on the Housing Register - not on a 'first come, first served' basis.
Our system will only display homes that you’ are eligible to bid for. If no homes appear in the current advert cycle, it means there are currently no available homes that match your eligibility criteria.
Contacting us will not change the homes displayed, as eligibility is assessed automatically through the system.
We're sorry but we’re unable to tell you where you are on a bidding shortlist. If you’ are successful, we’ll be in touch to explain the next steps.
We don’t provide shortlist positions, rankings, or information about other applicants at any stage of the allocations process.
Unfortunately, we can’t predict when you’ll receive an offer of housing.
This depends on a range of factors, including the types of home you’re eligible for, the areas you choose, the number of homes that become available, and the priority of other applicants bidding at that time.
As a result, we can’t provide waiting time estimates or advise on how likely it is that you’ll receive an offer.
In most cases, homes are allocated taking account of priority and waiting time. However, there are some exceptional circumstances where a home may be removed from the advertised process and allocated outside of the usual shortlisting arrangements.
This might happen where there is an urgent housing need, a management requirement, or another reason allowed within the Allocations Policy.
For this reason, an applicant who joined the Housing Register more recently may occasionally receive an offer before someone who has been waiting longer.
Homes are not always allocated in the order they’re advertised.
We prioritise allocating homes that are ready to let, while some homes may remain showing as ‘Not Allocated’ if they need repairs or other works before they can be lived in.
Once the home is ready and the allocation process is completed, its status will be updated.
Housing Online lets you access your information through a secure web service. Once registered, you'll be able to bid for properties if you're on the Housing Register.
You'll need an email address to be able to create an account as this will be your username when signing in. Help to create an email account is on the Housing Online pages.
All applicants need a Housing Online account. Without this, you won’t be able to see the advert or place bids on properties. If you become a Nottingham City Council Housing Services tenant, you'll also be able to log in to this account to check your rent account, update your contact details and, in the future, book repairs.
To find someone to swap with, you'll need to register with Homeswapper.
After the surveyor has visited you, they'll report their findings to us. Once we have these, we'll make contact with you to discuss and make arrangements for the next stage.
It's really important that you view the property before you sign to accept. By signing, you are accepting the property in its current condition. If you are in any doubt, talk to us before signing.
Applications may be refused for a number of different reasons. The reasons for your application refusal will be included in the letter we send you.
If you would like to refuse before the welcome (sign up) meeting, you'll need to let us know in writing that you'd like to withdraw from the exchange process. It's important to make sure that before the welcome meeting you're sure of your decision. Once you've signed for your property you're legally obligated to continue the exchange.
You'll first need to have completed a housing application and then you'll need to complete a medical application form. Medical priority is awarded to applicants who are having difficulty accessing their home and the community due to a medical need. See our Medical Referrals pages for more information.
The service has some set criteria. Visit the Housing to Health page for more information.
You must have the patient’s consent before you refer them to us. Once you have it, you can refer them by completing an online referral form that's available on this page: Housing to Health
Applicants, as well as their family members, can self-refer into the service if they meet the criteria. Please refer by email or by calling 0115 746 9786.
Nottingham City Council's Housing Aid Team deals with everything related to homelessness. Visit their Homelessness Prevention page for more information.
If you do not have internet access or a family member / support worker that can help you with your bids, please contact us, and we'll do our best to help.
If you have a question that hasn't been answered above, please complete this short form and we'll do our best to help:
