Choice Based Letting
 

  Tutorials

Welcome to Choice Based Letting. To help you understand the scheme and the website that you are about to log in, please access the tutorials below. There are English and Irish language versions for mobile phones and desktop computers:

English

  • Mobile - Login / Express an Interest
  • Desktop - Login / Express an Interest

Irish

  • Mobile - Login / Express an Interest
  • Desktop - Login / Express an Interest
 

  Disclaimer

Even though care has been taken in the preparation and publication of the contents of the Galway City Council’s Choice Based Letting website, Galway City Council does not assume legal or other liability for any inaccuracy, mistake, mis-statement or any other error of whatsoever nature contained herein. Galway City Council hereby formally disclaims liability in respect of such aforesaid matters. The information contained within Galway City Council’s Choice Based Letting website is of a condensed and general information nature only and can change from time to time. It should not, by itself, be relied upon in determining legal rights or other decisions. Readers / users are advised to verify, by direct and live contact with Galway City Council, any information on which they may wish to rely. Galway City Council has endeavoured to attribute copyright or other intellectual right to the rightful owners where such course has been appropriate. Where any attribution has been missed or overlooked Galway City Council, on being informed, will correct and otherwise make good. Galway City Council has not reviewed any or all of the sites linked to its website. Galway City Council is not responsible for the content of any site linked to its website or any off-site pages. These links where they are inserted, if any, are provided solely as a convenience.

Galway City Council shall have no liability to the user either in contract or in tort for any loss suffered by the user resulting from the use of the Choice Based Letting website. The user shall have sole responsibility for maintaining and keeping safe their user name and password details.

Due to the nature of interactive services and the Internet generally, Galway City Council gives no warranty or commitment that the use of the sites will be free from interruptions or errors and Galway City Council shall have no responsibility or liability in respect of or arising out of any communication or network defects, breakdown, malfunction, error, delays or failures (whether temporary or otherwise) encountered by users while using the sites.

Clicking on certain links within Galway City Council’s websites may take the user to other websites and Galway City Council shall have no responsibility or liability of any kind for the accuracy or content of any information or any other aspect of any other websites.

Galway City Council has no responsibility to the user in respect of services supplied by third parties and gives no warranty as to satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose or compliance with any description in relation to such services. The terms implied by Section 39 of the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, 1980 of Ireland are hereby excluded from these terms and conditions in respect of any services supplied by third parties.

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of Ireland (excluding laws governing the conflict of laws) and the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the Irish Courts. This will not prevent Galway City Council from pursuing a claim for breach of contract, copyright infringement or otherwise in respect of these terms and conditions in any other jurisdiction.

Copyright Notice

Unless otherwise stated or appearing, the copyright and other intellectual rights attaching to information or data contained within the Choice Based Letting website are held by Galway City Council. Reproduction of all or any of the contents of the Galway City Council websites, in any form, is prohibited save with the prior written authorisation of Galway City Council. Galway City Council hereby gives a general consent to the use of such information for bona fide personal use and also for the recopying of all or any of the contents of the Galway City Council websites for genuine and bona fide information dissemination purposes where the source of the information is properly acknowledged and where such acknowledgment contains and refers to the web address of Galway City Council. However, this general consent does not extend to the use or copying of Ordnance Survey data/maps as copyright over such data is vested in Ordnance Survey of Ireland.

Galway City Council Coat of Arms/Crest/Logo Notice

Any downloading, copying, use or reuse of Galway City Council's Coat of Arms, Crest or Logo, shall be unauthorised unless downloaded, copied, used or reused in accordance with the prior written permission of Galway City Council (to which conditions may attach). The purpose of this restriction is to protect the Coat of Arms, the City Council and the City and its people from an inappropriate use of the Coat of Arms/Crest/Logo or from any use which might reflect badly on the City, its citizens or its City Council. Application for such permission should be made prior to downloading, copying, use or reuse to the Director of Corporate Affairs at corporateservices@galwaycity.ie.  Generally there will be no charge or cost implications attaching to the permission.

  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • 1) What is Choice Based Letting (CBL)?
     

    Choice Based Letting (CBL) is a way that you can express your interest in renting a suitable council dwelling in your Area of Choice.  A ‘suitable’ dwelling is one that you have chosen to express interest in and that matches your housing needs.  The current allocations process can be lengthy due to applicants refusing offers of accommodation.  CBL aims for quicker turnarounds of vacant properties as only people who register an interest in a property are considered. It offers applicants a greater choice in where they want to live and provides details about the properties to allow them to make informed decisions.  It reduces the refusal rates and the length of time that properties are empty.

     
  • 2) Will the properties advertised be to the normal standards for letting?
     

    Properties may be advertised before works required to bring them up to normal standards for letting are completed.  However, all properties will be to normal standards before the formal hand over of keys.

     
  • 3) What types of properties will not be considered for CBL?
     

    The following classes of dwelling will not be advertised on CBL:

    • Older persons dwellings
    • Specially adapted housing
    • Traveller group scheme housing
    • Properties suited to particular individuals known to Galway City Council’s Allocations team

    These types of dwellings will be allocated in line with Galway City Council’s Scheme of Letting Priorities.
     
  • 4) Who can access the CBL system?
     

    Everyone on housing waiting list, except existing tenants who are approved for transfer, will be eligible to access the CBL system. Those in the transfer category will be considered for properties separately by the Allocations team.  Applicants in receipt of RAS and Long Term Leasing prior to April 1st 2011 may also access the CBL system.

     
  • 5) How do I access the CBL system?
     

    You access the CBL system through the internet on cbl.galwaycity.ie.  You can log into the CBL system on the internet via a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

     
  • 6) What do I need to log into the CBL system?
     

    To access CBL for the first time you need:

    • Your Username
    • Your Temporary Password (provided in letter from GCC)
    • An email address


    Entering your email address when you initially sign into the CBL system allows Galway City Council to email you whenever a suitable property is advertised.  Please see the “How to Login” video tutorial on cbl.galwaycity.ie for more information.

     
  • 7) What do I do if I’ve forgotten my Password?
     

    Click on the “Forgotten your password” link on the CBL login page.  You will be prompted to answer the two Security Questions that you selected on your first login.  When you answer the two questions, you will be prompted to enter a new password and then you will be able to access the CBL system.

     
  • 8) How do I express an interest on a property?
     

    Properties will be displayed on the CBL website at cbl.galwaycity.ie.  You will need to log in to check whether you wish to express an interest in the properties advertised that week.  Expressing an interest in a property is a two stage process.  Similar to online shopping, the first stage requires you to place the property in a Basket.  Once you have a property in your basket you must click on the shopping trolley icon and "Proceed to Checkout" which will mean your expression of interest will be recorded for the property.  If you do not complete this step your expression of interest WILL NOT be recorded and you will not be considered for the property.  Please see the “How to Express an Interest in a Property” video tutorial on cbl.galwaycity.ie for more information.

     
  • 9) How do I know if I have correctly expressed an interest/checked out a property on the CBL system?
     

    You should check your “Submitted Properties” tab after you Check Out the property.  If the property appears then you have successfully checked out the property and you will be included for consideration when the property is being allocated.  If the property does not appear in the “Submitted Properties” tab then you have not checked out the property fully.  You should check your basket and see if the property is there. If it is, then it needs to be checked out fully.  If it is not there, then you have not selected this property at all.  You must go to the list of available properties tab and begin the selection process again.

     
  • 10) Does it cost money to express an interest on a property?
     

    There is no charge for expressing an interest in a property.  You just need to express your interest during the period of time that the property is available.  Properties will be available for a period of one week from Wednesday to the following Tuesday.

     
  • 11) Can I view the property in person before I express an interest?
     

    Galway City Council do not arrange viewings of properties.  There will be photos of the property on the CBL website which you can inspect prior to expressing an interest.

     
  • 12) How long is the period of for expressing an interest?
     

    Properties will be placed on the Galway City Council’s CBL website on Wednesdays.  It will be possible to express your interest for a period of one week until the following Tuesday. Please note that properties may not be displayed every week due to availability.

     
  • 13) What if I miss the deadline for expressing interest in a property?
     

    You will not be considered for the allocation of that dwelling if you have not expressed an interest in it by the deadline.  Galway City Council does not accept responsibility for applicant households who miss the deadline to express their interest in a property under CBL.

     
  • 14) What happens to my preference areas with regard to East and West?
     

    There are two areas of preference in Galway City - East and West.  If East only is selected then applicants will see all available properties in the East side. If West only is selected then applicants will see all available properties in the West side.  If East and West is selected then applicants will see all properties available.

     
  • 15) What happens after I express an interest in a property? Will it be allocated to me?
     

    There may be many expressions of interest in a property so it may not be allocated to you.  The expressions of interest will be assessed in line with Galway City Council’s Scheme of Letting Priorities. A decision on the allocation of a tenancy for the property will be based on:

    • An applicant’s time on the Housing Waiting List
    • Family size
    • Type of property required
    • Category of need under the Scheme of Letting Priorities
    • Estate Management.
     
  • 16) How will I know if I am being allocated the property for which I expressed an interest?
     

    After the period for expressing an interest elapses, the status of the property can be viewed by logging in to the CBL website and clicking on the “Properties Update” tab. Properties may be listed as “Allocated” or “Allocation in Progress”.  Times will vary but the allocation of a property may take 2 to 3 months depending on whether it located in a new development or existing estate.

     
  • 17) Does Galway City Council contact the unsuccessful applicants?
     

    Galway City Council will not contact the unsuccessful applicants.  If you are not contacted about a property, then you are not being considered for it.

     
  • 18) What happens after Galway City Council choose the successful applicant?
     

    Any offer of a tenancy is subject to a vetting procedure by Galway City Council.  This procedure requires submission of re-assessment of an applicant’s file to ensure they are eligible for social housing support under the Scheme of Letting Priorities.  Any offer of a tenancy for the property will be in accordance with the Scheme of Letting Priorities.

     
  • 19) What happens if I refuse an offer of a property for which I expressed an interest?
     

    A refusal of a CBL dwelling by a household is not considered a refusal in terms of the overall refusal policy in the Scheme of Letting Priorities. This means that a refusal of a CBL dwelling is not counted as one of an applicant’s official offers.  However, where an applicant does refuse a reasonable offer of a CBL dwelling, the household cannot express an interest for another CBL dwelling for one year.

     
  • 20) If I get a property through this system will I be taken off the housing waiting list?
     

    Yes, you will be removed from the housing waiting list as you are deemed to be adequately housed.

     
  • 21) Can I still make a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) application?
     

    If you are an applicant on the Housing Waiting List, you can apply for HAP.

     
  • 22) Can I express an interest in a property if I am receiving social housing support such as HAP/RAS/Long Term Leasing?
     

    Applicants housed in a HAP tenancy may express an interest in properties on the CBL system.  Applicants in receipt of RAS and Long Term Leasing prior to April 1st 2011 may also express an interest in properties on the CBL system.

     
  • 23) What will happen my time on the list with CBL? Will I still have the same time?
     

    Your time will remain the same.  However if you do not express interest in properties online, you will not be considered for them.  As most properties will be on CBL going forward, you will miss out on being considered for them if you do not place your interest online.

     
  • 24) If I express an interest in a house that was taken down from the website a few months ago, and is now back online, will my previous expression of interest be taken into account?
     

    No, you will have to express interest online again if you have an active social housing support application.  Galway City Council reserves the right to remove a CBL dwelling in a given week and re-advertise the dwelling again in another time period.

     
  • 25) How many houses can I express an interest in?
     

    You can place one expression of interest per property advertised. You can express an interest in as many properties as you like.

     
  • 26) Can I obtain a list of those that expressed an interest in the dwelling?
     

    Details of individual household applicants for a CBL dwelling under Choice Based Letting will not be available for public release in accordance with Data Protection requirements.

     
  • 27) What are Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs)?
     

    There will be some properties listed on CBL which are from Approved Housing Bodies.  Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), also called housing associations or voluntary housing associations, are independent, not-for-profit organisations.  AHBs provide housing in response to a range of different needs including families on low incomes.  AHBs work in partnership with Local Authorities and take nominations from the Local Authority to tenant available accommodation provided by an AHB.

     
  • 28) What is the difference between properties provided by Approved Housing Bodies and Galway City Council?
     

    They are the same from a rent perspective and in terms of security of tenure.  However, it is not possible for a tenant to purchase a house from an AHB whereas certain Council properties are available for tenant purchase.

     
  • 29) What happens if I have a problem using the Choice Based Letting system?
     

    Please contact a member of our Customer Services Team in Galway City Council on (091) 536400 should you have any difficulty or need assistance in using the CBL site.  Should you have a query that is not covered in the FAQs you may email cbl@galwaycity.ie.