The Housing Registration Team is responsible for maintaining the Council’s Housing Register (often referred to as the Waiting List) and giving advice on a variety of options available to people looking for somewhere to live. We deal with households not currently in Council properties as well as existing tenants wanting transfers.
We are based at:
Housing Services
Cedar Wood House
2d Fulbourne Road
Walthamstow E17 4GG (map)
Tel: 020 8496 3000
Fax: 020 8496 5431
Opening hours
9am – 4.30pm Monday to Thursday
10am – 4.30pm Friday
We deal with approximately 250–450 new applications each month so demand is high for the relatively small number of Council and Housing Association properties that come empty. Apart from statutorily homeless households, only 25-30 households might actually get housed each month. Another 5 or 6 people (over 50) will get sheltered housing. This means, that of the 10,000 applicants on the Register, the vast majority will probably never be offered a Council or Housing Association property .
We will give as much advice as possible about any other options that could be considered, wherever possible. These will include using the Rent Deposit Scheme to move in the private sector, mutual exchange for existing Council and Housing Association tenants, moving to other parts of the country or schemes where applicants can either buy or apply for shared ownership.
Each applicant is assessed on an individual basis and receives notification of their position on the Register.
Who can apply?
The Council has an open register for people within and outside of Waltham Forest's boundaries with a limited number of exceptions. You can apply from the age of 16 but may not be given a tenancy until you are 18, without a rent guarantor.
Who cannot apply?
Households who are subject to immigration control.
Households whose behaviour as a tenant, or the behaviour or a member of their household has not been acceptable. For example, if they were evicted from accommodation in the past because of anti-social behaviour or rent arrears.
How can I apply?
You can contact us on the above numbers or send us an application form. This can be posted to you, collected from most Council Offices or One Stop Shops or downloaded by clicking here.
A large print version of the application form is also available if necessary.
What happens next?
Your application will be assessed and awarded the status of either:
No preference
If we consider that you are adequately housed.
Reasonable preference
If you have some housing need such as overcrowding or medical/social need. Applications are assessed and awarded points so that those in the greatest need have the highest points. Applicants from outside Waltham Forest usually receive less priority than those within the Borough, (other than Waltham Forest tenants in our out-Borough estates).
Additional preference
If your case is assessed as having an urgent level of need. Cases are registered in date order from when this priority is awarded. Additional preference usually only lasts for 3 or 12 months but should be enough time to allow you to bid successfully.
You will be sent a letter telling you which preference group you have been registered under.
When you receive your letter, you will also be given a registration number. This number must be quoted each time you contact us so that we can deal with enquiries quickly and efficiently. You can use this same number to 'bid' for suitable vacancies (see below).
What do I do next?
Every week the Council publishes a magazine with a list of empty properties that you can express an interest in, both Council and Housing Association. We call this 'bidding'. The magazine is called the ChoiceHomes Magazine and is published in conjunction with several other Local Authorities including Newham, Redbridge, Hackney and Havering . Other Councils will be advertising in this magazine in the near future.
You can only use the bidding reference number you have been given, to bid for properties in the Waltham Forest section of the magazine. A small number of other boroughs' properties are available to you each week among our properties. This number may increase over time. If you are successful in bidding for properties advertised by another Council or a Housing Association, you would become one of their tenants.
You can place bids for two properties of the appropriate size every week by either phone text or using the Internet. (www.ellcchoicehomes.org.uk)
We are currently involved in the development of a London-wide scheme called Capital Moves, where you would have the option to bid for properties all across London. If introduced, this would start in 2009.
Where can I get a copy of Choice Homes magazine?
How long do I have to wait to be rehoused?
The majority of people who apply for housing do not get rehoused. The demand far outweighs the number of properties available for letting.
It is highly unlikely that you would be considered for housing if you have just applied. An example of an exception might be people with a disability or health need, affected by their housing and whose mobility is severely restricted within the home. You can provide us with this information on a medical/disability questionnaire. This questionnaire will be assessed and priority awarded according to need.
You should make sure that you tell us about any other significant difficulties that need to be taken into account on the application form and we will ensure your situation is properly assessed and prioritised.
Even if you have enough priority to be considered for a Council or Housing Association property, we cannot tell you exactly how long you might have to wait. However, the bidding magazine tells you the length of time people have been waiting to make bids for the properties that were advertised in the previous edition. Over a period of time, this should give you a good idea of waiting times for the type and size of properties you want. Waiting times will depend on the size of property you need, where you will consider in the Borough, whether you will consider above the ground floor and the number of empty properties we get to let.
There is no separate housing association list as all the properties to which we have nomination rights are advertised in the magazine.
If you are asked to leave
If you are going to become homeless or are having problems with your landlord, we may refer you to the Housing Advice Service or Homeless Persons Unit.
Leaflets online
There is a full range of Housing Services leaflets available here.
These leaflets are all available free of charge, by downloading from this website, by post or in person from our office.
