A NEW website that will make finding a new home quicker and easier than ever before has been launched by Manchester City Council in partnership with the city’s major housing providers.
Manchester Move will revolutionise the way people can find a new home and streamline the process between bidding for a property and receiving the keys to the front door.
The Manchester Move website has now replaced the previous Homefinder system, and will change the way Manchester people find and bid for a new home.
Two years in development, the site will give home-seekers a quick and simple tool to register for rehousing online, and give a hands-on approach to searching for and bidding on a new home.
Once registered on the free service, Manchester Move will advise customers on the likelihood of a successful bid on a particular property based on their personal situation, area preference and priority need using a simple traffic light system – helping to inform a customer’s decision by showing clearly how realistic their chance of successfully bidding on a particular home.
Not only will this give home-seekers more control over their rehousing, but Manchester Move will also streamline the rehousing process as there would be far fewer wasted bids, with home-seekers bidding only on properties where they have a good chance of being accepted.
If unsuccessful, the customer will be given information about the priority details of the successful bidder so they understand why their bid was not accepted, which will help them in bidding successfully for homes in the future.
Initially, Manchester Move will help people find new homes from one of twenty not-for-profit landlords in the city – including Manchester City Council and Northwards Housing. However, as demand for social housing continues to grow, the new site will soon also advertise lots of privately-rented homes too, as well as giving customers information about their wider housing options, such as renting from a private landlord, low-cost home ownership and home exchanges.
Cllr Jim Battle, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said:"Manchester Move will revolutionise the way people can find a new home and streamline the process between bidding for a property and receiving the keys to the front door. The website will allow residents total control over their housing application and help reduce the time people wait for the right property.
"Housing costs have increased all round and made social housing even more attractive, so there's lots of demand for the available homes. Impending welfare reform is also increasing demand further as people realise they can longer afford their current home. The Council will continue to work with home seekers to prioritise those most in need.”
Visit www.manchestermove.co.uk to register and find out more. People who don't have access to a computer, or who need support to access online information, can get help by calling at the One First Street contact centre (by appointment), or libraries, learning centres, community centres and housing offices across the city.
