Over Easter we will close for general enquiries and non emergency repairs at 5pm on Thursday 28 March until 9am on Tuesday 2 April. You can still report emergency / urgent repairs during this time on 01226 787878. (Please note that it may take us longer to answer calls as we have fewer staff on duty). If you have a non-urgent repair then please report this using our app for free on the link here. We also have a range of online forms making it easier and quicker for you to contact us here. As we prepare to go live with our new Homeseeker Lettings Policy there will be no adverts for available homes until after midnight Thursday 4 April. Find out more about our new lettings policy here.
All available vacancies are advertised on the external Homeseeker (Housing Online) website.
You can view available vacancies without a live application for rehousing by clicking on ‘View this week’s properties’ between 00:00 Friday (Thursday evening) to 12:00 on Tuesdays.
However, to be able to place an expression of interest (bid) on a property, you’ll need to have a live application. For more information on how to do this, see the How to make an application section.
The advert will tell you:
The Barnsley Homeseeker scheme is a Choice Based Lettings (CBL) system. This means that all vacancies are advertised and applicants are able to express interest in up to three properties per week that meet their needs.
CBL is a more flexible and customer-centred method of rehousing, different to traditional council waiting lists where properties were offered directly to the applicant at the top of the list. The aim is to allocate empty homes in a way that offers choice, meets people’s needs, and promotes the development of sustainable and balanced communities.
Available homes are advertised weekly. The advert opens at 00:00 Friday (Thursday evening) and runs until 12:00 (12noon) on Tuesdays.
There’s no ‘first come, first served’ element to placing a bid, so there’s no need to wait up or rush to apply on Friday. All expressions of interest placed within the bidding cycle will be considered in line with their priority or waiting time.
For more information about how we give priority, see the Things to know before you apply section.
All applicants are encouraged to carefully consider both the property type and area before placing a bid on a property. There’s no requirement to use all three available bids per cycle, and applicants should be aware that if they refuse a suitable offer of accommodation that they’ve placed a bid on, it may affect the priority given to their application. In other words, only make an expression of interest on a property that you’d like to move into.
Our new interactive tool gives details on properties that have been let by area and property type, what priority band the let was made to, and the waiting time of the applicant.
If you’re a potential applicant - use this tool before completing an application to help you understand where we have housing stock, how often it becomes available, and the likely waiting time to be rehoused.
This is particularly helpful for applicants who are flexible about which areas they want to move to.
It's helpful to get to know the area you're looking to move to.
Please note - our available properties are typically advertised at the point we receive notice to end tenancy from the outgoing tenant. This means the outgoing tenant is often still in the property, so if you’re going to visit the area before bidding, please don’t knock on the door or enter the garden as it’s someone’s home.
Online tools like Google Maps and Street View can be a useful source of information when considering a bid on a property:
You may also want to look at local amenities such as:
Once the Homeseeker advert closes, the successful applicant will typically be contacted within 7 days to discuss the property. If it’s suitable, they will be made a provisional offer of accommodation. Any properties that are refused at this point will be reoffered to applicants from the original list in either priority or waiting time, dependent on the type of let.
We currently receive more than 150 bids on average per available property, so unfortunately, we’re unable to contact unsuccessful applicants directly to advise of bid positions.
The 3 primary ways you can make expressions of interest are:
The advert will make clear who is eligible to apply for the property. You’ll only be entitled to register 3 expressions of interest in any one CBL cycle and will only be considered for properties for which you are eligible.
When applying on the Berneslai Homes website, you’ll be informed whether or not your expression of interest has been accepted, if your expression is refused, you’ll be advised about how to contact us if you have any concerns about your application.
Properties included in Choice Based Lettings will be advertised on Berneslai Homes website on a weekly cycle which opens Friday morning (00:01 hours) and closes Tuesday at 12:00 noon.
You’re encouraged to carefully consider both the property type and area before placing a bid on a property. There’s no requirement to use all three available bids per cycle, however you should be aware that if you refuse a suitable offer of accommodation that you’ve placed a bid on, it may affect the priority given to your application. In other words, only make an expression of interest on a property that you’d like to move into.
You should consider the location, size, rent amount, local amenities, and the accessibility of the property before submitting a bid.
Whilst it’s important to only express interest on properties you would be willing to accept, waiting times for applicants in all bands who are willing to consider all, or the majority areas of the borough are significantly shorter than those applicants only applying for limited/specific areas.
In limited circumstances we may be able to express interest for you. If you feel this service may be of benefit, please contact our Homeseeker Scheme.
We’ll agree to bid on behalf of applicants for the following reasons:
Once a property advert closes, we produce a shortlist and we’ll offer the property to the highest priority applicant, this is decided by banding first, and then time spent in that band.
There are occasions where a property is not advertised, and it is matched directly to an applicant. We use direct lets to manage the most urgent, sensitive, or specialised cases (see section 5.2.1 of the Lettings Policy)
To make sure we let our vacancies quickly, we’ll attempt to notify you of the offer by phone, email, or other digital means. This will then be followed up by a formal letter.
There are two categories of offer which we would give you:
Provisional - This is where we inform the applicant that the property is being reserved for them but is not yet available. This will progress to a full offer once the property is ready to let. We may also make this type of offer if we have some additional verifications we need to undertake of the applicant.
Full Offer - This is where the keys are available, and the tenancy will commence once the offer is accepted.
We allow you two working days to respond to an offer made verbally, by email or other digital methods. Where we have only made contact by post we allow three working days from the date of the offer letter.
You can refuse any property that is offered to you. However, if we deem the offer to be reasonable, and your reasons for refusing it unreasonable, we may apply sanctions to your application. These could include demotion within band or moving you down to Band 4 if you refuse three properties or more. You can see more information on this in section 5.4.4. of the Lettings Policy.
The rental amount will be stated on the property advert. Please consider if you can afford this before making any bids on properties. If you need support with managing your finances, our Tenants First team are here to help you. You can contact them by visiting our website here, or visit our webpage that offers support for new tenants here.
You’ll be responsible for setting up your utility bills, council tax, Wi-Fi etc. You must make sure that you can afford to pay these, as well as paying them on time. If you need support with managing your finances, our Tenants First team are here to help you. You can contact them by visiting our website here, or visit our webpage that offers support for new tenants here.
The majority of our properties will be unfurnished, including kitchen appliances (fridges, washing machines etc) and most will not have carpets or flooring already fitted. Please consider how you will furnish the property and what this may cost you.
In some cases, we may support tenants to furnish their properties through our ‘Furnished Tenancy Scheme’. If you are made an offer of a property, our Lettings Coordinators will discuss this with you at the time.
Please read further Lettings Policy FAQs on the 'things to know before you apply' page here and 'how to make an application' page here.
10th floor, Gateway Plaza, off Sackville St, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2RD
Berneslai Homes Limited is a company controlled by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 4548803