Hi,
I,m planning on going on holliday but will have a bid in for part of the time I,m away. So, I was wondering if any one knows exactly how the property shop sytem works?

After sending a bidding form in do they choose the succesfull bidder on or after the last day of the bidding, which I believe is the Teusday? How long to they take to write and let the bidder know, if they are 'the chosen one'? How many days do you get to respond and view the property (presumebly before they give it to some one else?)

I,m not 60 but as I have demolition priority have put in a bid for a property for that age group any way as its the first one I,ve seen in the area which I put my name down for (before the system changed) and where I,ll be prepared to move to. Do I stand a chance, do they just disreguard the bid or inform me I,m nuts?

All things I,ve got to take into account so if any one knows cheers

Dont hold your breath hun, this bidding system is proving to be a right pain up the arse for everyone.

Even people on this forum with homeless priority have had little or no luck in getting housed so I doubt very much that demolition priority will get you housed any quicker than them.

I ve been bidding since May 04 and even though I understand that I havent been on the system long enough to complain the impression I get from others is that nobody seems to be getting housed even when they have been on the register for a longer period.

For this reason alone I am considering renting privately but I will continue to bid regardless in the hope I will eventually get offered a place.

Its a shame because I got the impression that this new system was a good idea and got people housed alot quicker but from what I ve heard that isnt the case.

Just keep bidding and if you miss a few weeks dont fret about it.

if you go down to the property shp they have a list with first come first served propertys on it with no bidding or waiting times. not all in great areas but you may find something.
hope this helps.
sabb

The way the properties are allocated from the bidding system has been explained to me as follows - the bidding closes on Tuesday at around 4pm. They then collect together all the bids that have been made via forms, telephone and website.
On Wednesday a group of doo gooders meet in an office somewhere in Sheffield to decide which of the bidders win the house. Those decisions are then sent of to the relevant housing office and that office will then contact you directly.

So say you have bid on a house this week and the bidding ends on Tuesday 10th August. If you haven't heard anything from the council by the following Tuesday - you can safely assume that you have not been succesful.

I do know someone who has been succesfully housed with demolition priority but hades help you if you are on the list for any other reason.

If you do a search on the forum - there are now countless posts about the useless system now implimented by Sheffield City Council.

Moon

Real odd, I clicked open the housing rules on the propertyshop site to read what was said about different forms of priority.

Low and behold I read that every 13 weeks they reasses the demolition priority, look if you,ve bid if so why you didnt get a property and if no bids have been placed ask you why. Further if they 'think', your holding out for a good property or unrealistic in you choise, they can allocate you a house of their choise. They can also take you to court if your not out by the time they want you out and they can cancel your priority. Well I guess thats what all of that 'ring fencing' is about, live where we say and when we say or else, after reading that lot.

Its worth a read for bidders, it would no doubt give grounds for complaints against the council for not implementing thier own rules and providing housing within the time stipulated by them. As I understood what I read they stipulate a time limit for each catagory of home seeker. (I may be confused so read it people and let me know if I,m half backed or got a scew lose, ok)
:loopy:

Hi

yes they have a time ifor each time of housing type - but they also have a get out clause too. I was initially told that I would only have two weeks to bid as a homeless person and after that period they would just give me a house.

Afer seeing Ange's posts this is obviously not the case as she has been homeless for the last 12 weeks bidding all over Sheffield.
I have support of my childrens Doctor and his school to keep him in the area - the problem is the areas we want are some of the most popular on the housing list so it may be some time.

Moon

That sounds typical of what clauses are for, to get out of following the rules they make them selves to follow. From what I read about those rules and clauses on that propertyshop site document, if we don,t handle correctly (accourding to their interepretation of thier rules) our priority can be withdrawn, we can be offerd any old dump in any old area that they choose for us and we can even be evicted if we hold the renovaion up by not having been succesfull in our bidding. Great isn,t it.

Before I got the place at Park hill which I should have got within a month back then, months went by and I didn,t hear any thing. So I started phoning and going to the housing.

Once I got an offer while on holliday and I asked a relative to go and look at the flat for me but they wern,t allowed to accourding to the housing? I thought any one could authorise some one else to handle thier affairs in thier absence? They wouldn,t wait a couple of days till I was back as it had to be viewed within 3 days back then (don,t know if its the same now?)

In the end I went to the housing again and persisted untill they made me an offer there and then. I was offerd two places so I could choose right there and then. The next day I signed the contract but it was after a year instead of a month. I got a house that way before too when I was homeless, by sitting there for hours to see if any houses became available that day. Some one handed thier keys in and I got the house.

I hear people saying they go to the propertyshop or housing and was wondering, does it work like that under this new system or is it strictly the bidding system only? Do they help certain catagories personally or is it fobbibg them off in reality?:confused:

I don't know if that would work under the new system. The housing and the property shop like to pass the buck between each other.

With reference to being offered any old dump - speak to housing advice before you say yay or ney to a property there are ways round it if you are well informed and have good reason and back up to refuse the local drug dealers cul de sac.

Moon Maiden

Sounds interesting can you elaberate on which 'ways' and how I can become well informed?

I,d like to avoid being forced into a bad area? Where do you find 'housing advice', to ask and what do they have to offer?

I,m not in any particular hurry to move but don,t want to be bushwacked into a rough area this time, I,m getting too old for that and likely to be some one,s prey! I want to feel safe and live where I have friends at the Meadow Head but of course these properties don,t come up very often as its a nice area.

( I havn,t heard good things about Jordanthorpe, Nether Edge or Batemore or any of the other ringfenced estates)

Has any one got any ideas or views on these areas or others nice one,s around Meadow Head?:thumbsup:

I was looking around for what Housing Advice has to offer qua info on 'good' and 'bad' area,s, as in (where any one of 55 and over is likely to be prey) but couldn,t realy find any thing of use. Does any one know what the housing advice actualy does?:confused:

Housing advice offer legal information and advice to protect people from being homeless, or protect them from teh council from making them victims of their dodgy estates.

It was them who told me about not refusing an offer until I had spoken to them because I do have rights despite being homeless to refuse an offer that I feel is unreasonable and can back it up with proof - like doctors and other professionals.

Unfortunately ike we have seen above and in other posts - this leaves me homeless for months. Also my back up plan of looking at moving back to Barnsley may fall thru cos they are stupid enough to use this bidding system aswell.

Moon Maiden

That sounds like good advice, consulting the housing advice about dodgy areas and rights re homelessness. I would do the same as you, hold out till you get what you want even though its means being homeless longer. A decision made out of desperation is definatley not a good one.

Where can I find housing advice? Do they have an online site?

I could only find some document on the coucil site over housing advice but thought that can,t be it or they,d be telling you how to protect yourself against their wiley ways?:loopy:

Bidding systems!! Load of Bull!! I've been on the waiting list for nearly 14 years. I don't qualify for a 3 bed only for a two bed. I'm looking around Hillsborough/Wisewood area. 75% of 2 beds are given to priority (3 out of 4) and the other 1 is waiting time. I have to leave my rented house asap and the only option is to be homeless - with a teenage daughter - and if I turn the first property down I am offered - which won't in be the area I want - then i will be taken off the priority list. Bring back waiting time!! Make it fair for everyone!!

The bidding system really doesn't work for many people. I had priority for a 3 bed and made a bid on one. I didn't get offered the property but it went to someone who joined the housing register a year later than me. When I questioned why I wasn't offered the property first I was told that they had offered the property based on waiting time and not priority. When I said that I had a years more waiting time than the person they gave it to I was told that because I have priority they don't take my waiting time into consideration. So instead of fairly offering the property to me, who'd been waiting a year longer and needed it as priority, they gave it to someone with less waiting time and no priority :huh:.

If you have priority it is a nightmare because they will just try and off load you into all the other properties that get turned down or that no-one else bids for because they are in rough areas.

The bidding system really doesn't work for many people. I had priority for a 3 bed and made a bid on one. I didn't get offered the property but it went to someone who joined the housing register a year later than me. When I questioned why I wasn't offered the property first I was told that they had offered the property based on waiting time and not priority. When I said that I had a years more waiting time than the person they gave it to I was told that because I have priority they don't take my waiting time into consideration. So instead of fairly offering the property to me, who'd been waiting a year longer and needed it as priority, they gave it to someone with less waiting time and no priority :huh:.

If you have priority it is a nightmare because they will just try and off load you into all the other properties that get turned down or that no-one else bids for because they are in rough areas.



Yes that's true. It stinks!!

It's ridiculous, we shouldn't be offloaded to area no-one wants. You should get a choice in your own area where you've grown up like derbyshire where you have to come from around there to bid or to buy. Have you been successful since?

It's ridiculous, we shouldn't be offloaded to area no-one wants. You should get a choice in your own area where you've grown up like derbyshire where you have to come from around there to bid or to buy. Have you been successful since?

What then? Only people who come from Woodhouse can only be rehoused in Woodhouse?

I bidded on a house and the following week after I hadn't heard anything so assumed we hadn't been lucky. However a week after that (2 weeks after the property ended) we got a letter offering us the property which was a shock. I know it sometimes takes longer as if the first person refuses it, it gets offered to the next person (apparently) but I'd be surprised if someone turned this house down, a 3 bed in a reasonably decent area in very good condition. Mind you if they did, their loss is our gain!

What then? Only people who come from Woodhouse can only be rehoused in Woodhouse?




No, I didn't actually say that. I said that you should be allowed the option to bid in an area where you have grown up all your life. Not that people from Woodhouse can only be rehoused in Woodhouse. People should be allowed to live wherever they choose but be able to have the opportunity to live in their own area first choice.

No, I didn't actually say that. I said that you should be allowed the option to bid in an area where you have grown up all your life. Not that people from Woodhouse can only be rehoused in Woodhouse. People should be allowed to live wherever they choose but be able to have the opportunity to live in their own area first choice

You do have the option to bid in the area of your choice providing your bidding with waiting time, but if your bidding with priority status them I'm afraid they will expect you to bid for any suitable property in Sheffield. Although I had priority status nearly 2 years ago now and after many letters etc I got priority for just the North of Sheffield. And thankfully we got a house in an area I'd lived all my life. This was for my husbands medical reasons though.

No, I didn't actually say that. I said that you should be allowed the option to bid in an area where you have grown up all your life. Not that people from Woodhouse can only be rehoused in Woodhouse. People should be allowed to live wherever they choose but be able to have the opportunity to live in their own area first choice.

So, if a person is fleeing from domestic violence, and they claim that their situation is so bad that they need to move urgently, but they only want the "good" areas where the waiting time is long, they should be allowed to just sit on the priority list until they get what they want?

The Council use PRIORITY to rehouse people QUICKLY to alleviate their current situation. If a person says they are fleeing from violence, then surely the priority is to get them out of it and somewhere safe, even if it means moving them to somewhere they may not what to go. The whole point being, it's better to have a roof over your head than to keep getting battered by your partner.

So, if a person is fleeing from domestic violence, and they claim that their situation is so bad that they need to move urgently, but they only want the "good" areas where the waiting time is long, they should be allowed to just sit on the priority list until they get what they want?

The Council use PRIORITY to rehouse people QUICKLY to alleviate their current situation. If a person says they are fleeing from violence, then surely the priority is to get them out of it and somewhere safe, even if it means moving them to somewhere they may not what to go. The whole point being, it's better to have a roof over your head than to keep getting battered by your partner.


I'm not quoting Priority, i'm talking waiting time. My friend received priority as she fled an abusive partner- a terrible time for her. That's completely different to what I was saying about my situation.

You do have the option to bid in the area of your choice providing your bidding with waiting time, but if your bidding with priority status them I'm afraid they will expect you to bid for any suitable property in Sheffield. Although I had priority status nearly 2 years ago now and after many letters etc I got priority for just the North of Sheffield. And thankfully we got a house in an area I'd lived all my life. This was for my husbands medical reasons though.


Thanks a lot, this gives me a bit of hope. cheers.

I'm not quoting Priority, i'm talking waiting time. My friend received priority as she fled an abusive partner- a terrible time for her. That's completely different to what I was saying about my situation.

Yes, but with waiting time you CAN bid where you want! The only problem with that is that, in "nice" areas, the waiting time needed is extremely high.

I really cannot see your point. It just looks like your another who likes to bash the Council because you can't get what you want.

With only 40,000+ Council properties and approximately 90,000+ people on the housing list, unfortunately, you're not the only one in that position.

Yes, but with waiting time you CAN bid where you want! The only problem with that is that, in "nice" areas, the waiting time needed is extremely high.

I really cannot see your point. It just looks like your another who likes to bash the Council because you can't get what you want.

With only 40,000+ Council properties and approximately 90,000+ people on the housing list, unfortunately, you're not the only one in that position.

I'm not bashing the council, just the bidding system. Nothing to do with 'because I can't get what I want.' Of course there are thousands in my position! If you really can't see my point, why bother to reply? I wasn't replying to yours? You're entitled to your opinion and I to mine.:D

I'm not bashing the council, just the bidding system. Nothing to do with 'because I can't get what I want.' Of course there are thousands in my position! If you really can't see my point, why bother to reply? I wasn't replying to yours? You're entitled to your opinion and I to mine.:D

I have to admit I can't because your point doesn't seem to meet your explanation.

Real odd, I clicked open the housing rules on the propertyshop site to read what was said about different forms of priority.

Well I guess thats what all of that 'ring fencing' is about, live where we say and when we say or else, after reading that lot.
:

Ring fencing is for the benefit of people on demo priority.

When the original assessments are done with individual tenants they will ask what area you would like to move to, if after all the assessments have been completed everyone wishes to stay within a certain area, it is part of the demo report to request that every single property that becomes vacant within that certain area can be allocated to demo priority only. Therfore noone other than people on demo priority can be matched to that property!:thumbsup:

I think that a lot of people are really missing the point when it comes to priority, surely it is awarded because you have an urgent need to be rehoused somewhere so getting a house would be the outcome needed???? So why does everyone then go on about not being able to stay in a certain area and not getting what they want blah blah blah!!!

A high percentage of properties go to priority with only a few going to waiting time. Its people with waiting time that I feel sorry for as it is extremely difficult to get anywhere even though you have a better choice, the properties just are not allocated to you.

I'm not bashing the council, just the bidding system. Nothing to do with 'because I can't get what I want.' Of course there are thousands in my position! If you really can't see my point, why bother to reply? I wasn't replying to yours? You're entitled to your opinion and I to mine.:D

If the bidding system was removed, it wouldn't increase the number of properties available, and it wouldn't change the proportions of properties going to people on priority (75%) so I fail to see your point. The problem is a shortage of council housing generally, not the way they are let.

I think that a lot of people are really missing the point when it comes to priority, surely it is awarded because you have an urgent need to be rehoused somewhere so getting a house would be the outcome needed???? So why does everyone then go on about not being able to stay in a certain area and not getting what they want blah blah blah!!!

A high percentage of properties go to priority with only a few going to waiting time. Its people with waiting time that I feel sorry for as it is extremely difficult to get anywhere even though you have a better choice, the properties just are not allocated to you.

Agreed, but these people don't have an urgent NEED to move so can afford to sit and wait for their "dream home". Often, it's people who just fancy a change.

When someone NEEDS to be relocated for whatever reason, then they can apply for priority housing.

What a completely ridiculous statement! what gives you the right to say people like them can afford to sit back and wait for a dream home!! what the hell do you know. Just stay on a subject you know SOMETHING about :loopy:

What a completely ridiculous statement! what gives you the right to say people like them can afford to sit back and wait for a dream home!! what the hell do you know. Just stay on a subject you know SOMETHING about :loopy:

Its not a ridiculous statement, I'd agree with leviathan13 in some cases - and I know what I'm talking about.

I've worked in housing in the past, and some people do stay on the list and build up years of waiting time, waiting for a specific estate, or even a particular street. Its highly probable they could have got a property much sooner, but they chose to be selective. Some people won't bid on maisonettes because they only want a house. No-one who is so choosy can possibly say they are in urgent need of housing!

my sister works for housing. read back, i never said i was priority and in urgent need. i said i'd been on the waiting list for over 14 years and was replying to someone that i know

my sister works for housing. read back, i never said i was priority and in urgent need. i said i'd been on the waiting list for over 14 years and was replying to someone that i know

Fine - and no one suggested you had said you were in priority... But your reply doesn't respond to the fact that the bidding system makes no difference to how many properties are available to non-priority applicants. Neither did your previous comments. If you want to say something is rubbish, then it helps if you can offer a reasonable argument, rather than just have a go at someone because they don't agree with you.

What a completely ridiculous statement! what gives you the right to say people like them can afford to sit back and wait for a dream home!! what the hell do you know. Just stay on a subject you know SOMETHING about :loopy:

My sis in law and her husband were working in America, and during that time, had accumulated fifteen-odd years of waiting-time with the council, fully expecting to be able to come back to the UK and "walk" into a house at "Dore and Totley" or wherever, because of the way the system worked on the waiting-times back then.

Imagine their dismay, when they came back, just as the rules had changed... and all they could accumulate was enough points for a maisonette on Gleadless Valley, which they turned their noses up at. (They are back in the US, now, and going for Citizenship)

I'm not having a go Ms Macbeth!! Its just that i cant have a conversation with anyone without Leviathan having a slightly aggressive opinion about me when he knows absolutely nothing about my situation. Thanks for your reply though.

I'm not having a go Ms Macbeth!! Its just that i cant have a conversation with anyone without Leviathan having a slightly aggressive opinion about me when he knows absolutely nothing about my situation. Thanks for your reply though.

To me, it's simple:

You don't NEED to be rehoused, which means you CAN afford to sit on the list and build waiting time.

If at any point you DO NEED to be rehoused, you can apply for priority and be rehoused, to a more suitable area/property for your needs.

If you feel I'm being aggressive then that's up to you, I just can't see where your point is.

It's simple, I NEED to be rehoused, I NEED to be near my family for personal reasons which I only disclose to my friends.

It's simple, I NEED to be rehoused, I NEED to be near my family for personal reasons which I only disclose to my friends.

So why not apply for priority housing in the areas you need?

I prefered the old system, it might have had it's problems with moonlight flitters and the like, but you could be sure that homeless people were given a set of keys within a week.

If you saw a property you liked and wanted, you could put a notice of intention in and providing nobody else was after it, you normally got the place you wanted.
If more than one person was interested it would go on waiting time or priority etc.

I used to think, it's new it'll get better as they get used to it, but it hasn't, the chances of you actually getting a property you bid on is slim, and is even lower if you have priority. It's more of a fob off system than anything else.

I'll vote any party that opts to scrap it and go back to an improved version of the old housing system, in fact I'm pretty sure a lot of people would.

I prefered the old system, it might have had it's problems with moonlight flitters and the like, but you could be sure that homeless people were given a set of keys within a week.

If you saw a property you liked and wanted, you could put a notice of intention in and providing nobody else was after it, you normally got the place you wanted.
If more than one person was interested it would go on waiting time or priority etc.

I used to think, it's new it'll get better as they get used to it, but it hasn't, the chances of you actually getting a property you bid on is slim, and is even lower if you have priority. It's more of a fob off system than anything else.

I'll vote any party that opts to scrap it and go back to an improved version of the old housing system, in fact I'm pretty sure a lot of people would.

True, Digsy.

What gets me is that the Housing service are now getting you to do the chasing, after the properties by bidding for them, rather than when it was more efficient,and their staff did the allocating, knowing who was at the top of the list.

I remember when My ex hub and I were looking to be rehoused, and we had a letter, from the housing department, every so often, telling us how our waiting time was accruing.

I remember getting really happy because we'd reached 6th place on the waiting list for one estate we'd applied for, but, more disappointingly, the properties on Wisewood that we'd gone for had us at 253rd on the list. :( ;).

I prefered the old system, it might have had it's problems with moonlight flitters and the like, but you could be sure that homeless people were given a set of keys within a week.

If you saw a property you liked and wanted, you could put a notice of intention in and providing nobody else was after it, you normally got the place you wanted.
If more than one person was interested it would go on waiting time or priority etc.

I used to think, it's new it'll get better as they get used to it, but it hasn't, the chances of you actually getting a property you bid on is slim, and is even lower if you have priority. It's more of a fob off system than anything else.

I'll vote any party that opts to scrap it and go back to an improved version of the old housing system, in fact I'm pretty sure a lot of people would.

But, on the "old system", the council had 80k+ properties and 40k+ applicants. However, through right to buy, stock transfer and demolition, it's the other way round.

Plus, on the old system, you would be offered a property on an estate and it may not be where you want. So you turn it down. Do it three times and your registration was suspended for 12 months which meant you couldn't be offered anything else. Now, in effect, you can turn down as many properties as you like - unless you're on priority of course.

As Ms MacBeth has said, the problem is with the lack of properties, not the the way they are let. If there were enough properties this thread, or many others like it, wouldn't exist.

I have just bidded on a property on the council , i have 19 years waiting list so it should be interesting to see what i get offered , as alot say on here about the way it works ect i have no idea with this system but alot of feedback from forum members clears alot up , just sit and wait now and bid again tuesday lol , if dont get last week bid .

I have just bidded on a property on the council , i have 19 years waiting list so it should be interesting to see what i get offered , as alot say on here about the way it works ect i have no idea with this system but alot of feedback from forum members clears alot up , just sit and wait now and bid again tuesday lol , if dont get last week bid .

When you bid, and you are successful, you will only be offered a property that you've bidded for.

Cheers for that so tuesday for new houses i can still bid is that correct , but if i get offered the house i bidded on last week i wont quilify for latest bid ? Personally i cant see me etting the house i bidded on last week it has over 3500 bids on ll so its like winning lotto , i just hope 19 yrs will do me a bit of good .

New properties come out on a Wednesday and close the following Tuesday. Although I'm not sure where you got the 3500 bids from. It's generally only an average of 150/200 bids per property.

New properties come out on a Wednesday and close the following Tuesday. Although I'm not sure where you got the 3500 bids from. It's generally only an average of 150/200 bids per property.

I called the sheffield homes office to confirm if my bid had gone in ok as its first time i did it , and i also asked the lady out of curiosety how many bids was on the property as its in very nice area and thats how many she told me , so im just going on sheffield homes information , weather its true or not only them know ?

I called the sheffield homes office to confirm if my bid had gone in ok as its first time i did it , and i also asked the lady out of curiosety how many bids was on the property as its in very nice area and thats how many she told me , so im just going on sheffield homes information , weather its true or not only them know ?

Was the property you bid for shown as being for 'waiting time' or 'priority'? If its for waiting time, there's usually an estimate of how long, it might say 3-4 years or even 10-15 years. With 19 years waiting time you should be in with a good chance for one designated to waiting time unless it specified 20-25 years! Of course you also have to be eligible for the size and type of property you're bidding for. Do let us know how you get on.

Was the property you bid for shown as being for 'waiting time' or 'priority'? If its for waiting time, there's usually an estimate of how long, it might say 3-4 years or even 10-15 years. With 19 years waiting time you should be in with a good chance for one designated to waiting time unless it specified 20-25 years! Of course you also have to be eligible for the size and type of property you're bidding for. Do let us know how you get on.

Yes it said 10 yrs or over , or priority for a family with 2 children or more , or 3 adults , which we are 19 yrs plus waiting list and a family of 3 adults .

Yes it said 10 yrs or over , or priority for a family with 2 children or more , or 3 adults , which we are 19 yrs plus waiting list and a family of 3 adults .

Are you aware that 3 adults means 3 individual people, not a couple and another adult? Its important to understand what the wording means. Couples are classed as individual people when it comes to assessing needs in relation to property size.

Are you aware that 3 adults means 3 individual people, not a couple and another adult? Its important to understand what the wording means. Couples are classed as individual people when it comes to assessing needs in relation to property size.

Yes i think this is where we may go wrong as we are a couple and 1 adult but we was confused as we told the housing this when we put bid in as we did it over the phone , as we didnt have a pin number to do online ect . The guy at the housing said we was ok to bid on it even thou it did state family with 2 kids or more or 3 adults , like you said we are really classed as 2 adults i take it as your saying , its confusing with the guy at the housing saying we was ok to bid , i dont think we will get the house to be honest lookin at what you said , but we will find out today on the bid we put in . but i think i may give the housing a call again just to see if we can bid on 3 bedrooms as my firstcall to them last week has confused our matter again , Cheers for confirming as i thought you have made it clear to me lol bloody housing tellin me pork pies ha ha . HOW RUDEEE OF THEM :)

Yes i think this is where we may go wrong as we are a couple and 1 adult but we was confused as we told the housing this when we put bid in as we did it over the phone , as we didnt have a pin number to do online ect . The guy at the housing said we was ok to bid on it even thou it did state family with 2 kids or more or 3 adults , like you said we are really classed as 2 adults i take it as your saying , its confusing with the guy at the housing saying we was ok to bid , i dont think we will get the house to be honest lookin at what you said , but we will find out today on the bid we put in . but i think i may give the housing a call again just to see if we can bid on 3 bedrooms as my firstcall to them last week has confused our matter again , Cheers for confirming as i thought you have made it clear to me lol bloody housing tellin me pork pies ha ha . HOW RUDEEE OF THEM :)

Its all in the lettings policy http://www.sheffieldpropertyshop.org.uk/resources/Lettings%20Policy%20document.pdf?ID=0176F9FFA8B546 F492CFF310A8FF28F0 (page 10 para n) which the staff should be familiar with.

The bit that refers to 3 adults states:
The minimum household size for a three bedroom property is a household with at least two children or a household with at least three individual adults.
i.e. not a married couple or civil partners or two people living together as a
couple (cohabiting), and one other adult

You can theoretically bid on anything you fancy, but 3 bedroomed houses are in such short supply its unlikely anyone who doesn't meet the full criteria would get one.