Midland Heart Homes - Top Tips
There are a few things that you can do to improve your chances of getting a home with us:
- Read the advert carefully – It’s really important to make sure that you meet the criteria for a home before you bid on it. If you do not meet the criteria then you won’t be successful
- Upload the correct documents - Check that you have the right documents saved on your device. If you’ve already uploaded your documents check that they haven’t expired (they last for 6 months from the date you uploaded them). Taking time to do this will help you to apply more quickly.
- Bid on more than one property. We’d encourage you to bid on a few properties to increase your chance of success. You’ll only be considered for one home at a time, so we’ll ask you to choose the home you prefer.
- Keep checking – We know that it can be disappointing if you’ve been unsuccessful or if you can’t find a property in the area you’re looking for. We add properties to the site every day of the week, so check regularly to avoid missing out.
Midland Heart Homes is our lettings portal where you can search and bid for a home with us.
It’s really simple to sign up to Midland Heart Homes and only takes a few minutes.
Step 1: Register your details
We’ll need your title, full name and an email address.
You’ll also need to enter a password. We recommend using upper and lower case letters, numbers and a special character to help keep your account secure.
You’ll need to use this email address and password to log into your account. Try to think of something that’s easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess
Step 2: Verify your account
We’ll send a verification email to the email address that you entered. This is to make sure that the email address is correct.
To verify your account, you’ll need to click the link in the email.
If you can’t find the email, check your junk or spam folder. You may need to add ‘@midlandheart.org.uk’ to your safe senders list for future emails.
You won’t be able to bid for a home with us until your account has been verified.
Step 3: Start looking for a home
Once you’ve verified your account you can start searching for and bidding on homes. You’ll need to upload your documents every time you bid for a home and add a few more details about yourself and the people who are moving in with you, this should take about 10 minutes. These documents will expire after 6 months, you can keep an eye on the expiry date in the My Documents section of your account.
We don’t have access to your Midland Heart Homes password so if you’ve forgotten it, you’ll need to reset it.
Step 1: Click ‘Forgot Password?’ on the log in page.
Step 2: enter the email address you used when you registered for Midland Heart Homes
Step 3: Check your emails and follow the instructions to reset your password. You’ll need to do this within 24 hours or the link will expire. If the link expires you’ll have to start the process again from step 1
Try changing your password to something that’s easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess. We recommend using upper and lower case letters, numbers and a special character to help keep your account secure.
You’ll need to upload your documents every time you bid for one of our homes. You should save a copy or clear photo of the following documents* on the device your are using to bid for homes:
- Passport or photo driving licence
- National insurance number
- Birth certificate
- Proof of income
If you don't have any photo ID, please upload a birth certificate instead, with a note to say why you cannot provide photo ID’.
*Some homes may have a preference group and you may need to provide more documents to prove you meet the criteria.
Please make sure you read the advert carefully and have the correct documents ready to upload. Your bid will not be successful if you have not uploaded the correct documents.
Including extra information will not strengthen your application so you should only upload the documents we have requested. We’ll contact you to request any further information if you’re shortlisted.
After you’ve verified your account, you need to complete your profile before you can search for a home. You’ll need to enter your personal details, contact details and information about your household. We only need to know who is moving with you so we can find the right size home for you. There is no need to add other people who you live with who aren’t moving with you to your new home.
To start searching for a home, you’ll need to enter an area such as ‘Birmingham’ or as postcode such as ‘B15’ into the search bar at the top of the page.
Search results
On the next page you’ll see the properties that are available in that area. You can then widen your search by up to 40 miles. Don’t worry if there are no homes coming up when you first check. You’ll only be able to see the homes that are suitable for your household. We regularly list new homes, so check every few days to avoid missing out.
Each property will state the date and time the advert closes. There will also be an overview of the key features of the property such as the location, weekly rent, facilities and any preference groups.
Click on the advert to view the full property description, facilities, map and find out more about the local area. Please read this information carefully to decide if you’d like to place a bid.
How to place a bid
Our adverts stay open for 7 days and the closing time and date are shown on each advert. Please make sure you complete your bid before the advert closes as we are unable to consider partially completed applications.
Shortlisting
Through Midland Heart Homes, we consider applicants in housing need, providing that the evidence we have requested is submitted at the time of bidding. We offer our homes to the person whose application status has been active for the longest time. We believe that by giving first choice to the users whose application status has been active for the longest time, we’re able to house those most in need. To keep this application status date active, you will need to log into your Midland Heart Homes account at least once every six months.
If you have not uploaded all of the documents requested or do not meet the criteria, we’ll make our way down the list. You can only be considered for shortlisting if you’ve placed a bid and uploaded the correct documents.
When the advert closes, you will receive an automatic notification depending on where you are on the list, and we will then check that the information submitted matches the information we have asked for as we work our way through the shortlist. Once a property has been let then all applicants will be notified that the property is no longer available.
