HOMECHOICE – the service which allows thousands of people in need of homes in Cornwall to bid on council and housing association properties – is offline for weeks.

The weekly bidding cycles have been paused until April 1.

Partner landlords advertise their vacant properties with Cornwall Council on the Homechoice website with applicants in the most urgent need of housing having the best chance of bidding successfully.

There are over 20,000 households on the housing register.

The pause is due to changes in the council’s approach to allocating social and affordable homes, with a new Cornwall Homechoice Policy and applicant portal going live from April 1.

To get ready for the changes, the weekly advert and bidding cycles have now been paused after the last advert cycle closed at midnight on Monday, February 17.

The register will be closed from 5pm on March 6, including for any new applications. Any applications that are in the process of being assessed at the time of closure, will be prioritised for assessment from April 1.

One of those who is affected is Arthur Sherry, who currently lives in a flat in Perranporth but is desperately bidding on Homechoice each week for a new property after trauma suffered after caring for his ill mother, who died in his flat, for which he has medical supporting notes.

He said: “I went online and saw there was no chance to bid and honestly thought it was an April Fools Day joke. This is a vital service with thousands of people using it to find homes.”

The council has stressed that Homechoice users’ current application details will be automatically transferred to the new system. During the switchover, the local authority will continue to support anyone in urgent housing need or experiencing homelessness. If you are in urgent need, please contact 0300 1234 161 or visit the website https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/housing/homeless-or-at-risk/.

Users of the register have to meet certain criteria – such as having a local connection – to be able to bid on properties. People can bid on one property per week and it can be located anywhere in Cornwall. If you do not bid on a suitable property within 12 months you may be removed from the Homechoice register. If you refuse two suitable properties you may be removed from the register.

The partner landlords who advertise their vacancies on Homechoice are Aster Communities, Cornwall Housing Ltd, Livewest, Guinness Hermitage, Ocean Housing, Places for People, Plymouth Community Homes, Sanctuary Housing, Willow Tree Housing Partnership and Westward Housing Group.

For more details see the Homechoice website https://secure.cornwall.gov.uk/cornwallhousing/openaccess.l/ibsxmlpr.p?docid=home