Social housing

Find out how your housing band affects your ability to bid for a home, and what to expect when using the Choice Homes system. 

You can bid for homes on the ChoiceHomes website (East London Lettings Company - ELLC). The system runs weekly and your priority band on the housing waiting list affects how likely you are to be offered a property.

To bid for homes, you’ll need to: 

• be on the housing waiting list
• know your bidding number 

• You can bid for up to 2 properties each week
• Properties are listed from 12:01am on Thursday to 11:59pm on Sunday
• You can bid at any time during this period - timing does not affect your chances 

Only bid for properties you are ready to accept and move into. 

Some homes are only available to certain groups (for example, older people or those with disabilities). Check the advert before bidding. 

If your bid is successful, we’ll contact you within a few days to verify your details. If the top bidder is not eligible or turns down the offer, we will offer the property to the next highest eligible bidder. 

Your priority band on the housing waiting list is based on your circumstances and set using the Housing Allocation Scheme. It affects how likely you are to successfully bid for a home. 

Band 1 - Emergency priority 

You’re likely to outbid almost everyone for any property. 

Examples include: 

• council tenants moving to a smaller home (under-occupying)
• cases with exceptionally urgent housing needs 

Band 2 - High priority 

You’re likely to be housed quickly if you bid for a wide range of homes. 

Examples include: 

• urgent medical or disability needs
• council tenants at risk of violence or harassment
• young people leaving care or moving on from supported housing 

If you only bid on a small number of homes, you may have to wait longer. 
 

Band 3 - Medium priority plus 

Your priority increases the longer you’re on the list. Most people in this band who are housed have waited over 5 years. 

Examples include: 

• homeless households the council has a duty to help
• people who need to move due to overcrowding, medical or disability needs 
   

Band 4 - Medium priority 

You’re unlikely to be housed through bidding. 

Examples include: 

• homeless households the council does not owe a housing duty to
• social tenants from outside the borough who work in Waltham Forest 
   

Band 5 - No priority 

You cannot bid for properties. 

Examples include: 

• people who are adequately housed
• people with enough financial resources to rent privately

If you’re on the housing waiting list and have a bidding number, you can log in to the Choice Homes website (ELLC) to view and bid for properties. 

If you are not yet on the waiting list, you can find out how to apply for social housing.