Croydon Council is set to launch a new scheme this month giving people on the housing register choice over where they want to live.

The Croydon Choice system – due to go live on May 22 – means people on the list can ‘bid’ for available social housing they would like to live in.

The council said the system will give users more choice and make the process more open and transparent.

Eligible families and individuals will still have their needs assessed and will be placed into a band but rather than the council contacting them when a property is available, they will be able to browse homes on croydonchoice.org.uk and register their interest, or ‘bid’.

All properties will be open for bidding for a minimum of three days and people with the highest priority will be given first consideration.

Croydon Council’s cabinet member for homes, regeneration and planning, councillor Alison Butler described the scheme as a ‘huge step forward for social housing in Croydon’.

She said: “Croydon Choice allows those people choice over the area and the type of property they would like to live in.
“Previously those on the housing register had to wait for the council to contact them with an offer of a property – they did not know what other properties may have been available or how long they would have to wait for a particular type of property.

“The choice-based letting system puts those waiting for a home back in the driving seat, giving them greater choice which helps to build stronger communities.”