Why are these changes happening?
Hartlepool Borough Council has made the decision to leave the Tees Valley Lettings Partnership that currently uses Tees Valley Homefinder to register and apply for social housing.
We have decided to introduce a policy to meet the needs of people in Hartlepool and to make best use of the social housing stock that is available. A new system will be used and this will be called Hartlepool Home Search.
What will happen on the 17th April 2023?
On Monday 17th April 2023 Hartlepool Home Search will go live and start to advertise properties.
What will happen to the Tees Valley Homefinder website and my Tees Valley Homefinder application?
Tees Valley Homefinder will continue to be used by the other local authorities and housing providers to advertise their properties which are not in Hartlepool. If you want to apply for a property that is not in Hartlepool you will still be able to use your existing account.
If you want to apply for a property in Hartlepool you can use Tees Valley Homefinder until our new site goes live.
Why do I need to make a new application?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to transfer your current application over from Tees Valley Homefinder so you will need to create an account on Hartlepool Home Search.
I have been registered on Tees Valley Homefinder (and previously Compass) for some time will my application start from ‘new’?
No, whilst we are asking you to log into Hartlepool Home Search to register your application you will not lose the date your original Compass or Tees Valley Homefinder application was registered.
We will be doing a weekly check to see who has registered on Hartlepool Home Search. Once you have made a new application we will backdate your effective date if applicable.
What do I need to do?
This will depend on your circumstances. Please read the section below which explains what you need to do:
If you currently have a Tees Valley Homefinder account you can continue to use this to apply for properties in Hartlepool until early April 2023 and for any properties in the other Tees Valley areas after this date.
If you currently have a My Thirteen account you can continue to use this to apply for properties with Thirteen across all Tees Valley, including Hartlepool.
If you want to register on Hartlepool Home Search to apply for properties across Hartlepool with all landlords then please create an account.
What if I don’t want to be on the Housing list anymore?
If you no longer need housing then you will not need to do anything. You can always apply in the future if your circumstances change.
I don’t have access to the internet what do I do?
Don’t worry. Just contact us, our contact details are at the end of this sheet and we will help you create a new application and answer any questions you may have about these changes.
Who do I contact if I have a question?
You can contact us by telephone or email.
Email: homesearch@hartlepool.gov.uk or
Telephone: 01429 806834