The Homes Direct lettings service is closing

You may have seen a message on the Homes Direct website or received an email saying that Homes Direct will be closing on 1st April 2021.

What is Homes Direct?

Homes Direct is a platform used by housing associations and local authorities in the Midlands to advertise affordable homes to rent.

When is Homes Direct closing?

The site will close down on 1st April 2021. All housing associations and councils will stop advertising their homes on the platform. 

Why is Homes Direct closing?

Registered providers and local authorities are starting to let their homes in different ways and some providers have made changes to their allocations policy.  This is so they can make their homes available to more applicants.

Some providers now have their own lettings portal so they don’t need to advertise on Homes Direct anymore.

We’ve started using our own portal Midland Heart Homes to advertise our properties for rent.

What does this mean for me?

If you’re a registered Homes Direct user you should have received an email telling you about the changes.

There will still be homes listed on the site until 31st March. However, some providers have already stopped advertising the majority of their homes through Homes Direct.

Any bids that you make up until 31st March 2021 will still be considered. After this date you’ll need to be registered with your local authority and/or housing providers to bid on their homes.  

You’ll need to register with individual providers to make sure you keep seeing the homes available in your area. If you need advice, you can speak to your local council’s housing team or contact the Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB).

The FAQs on the Homes Direct website are being regularly updated to help you understand how this change may affect you.