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Apply for council housing

Housing

Maintenance work on housing systems

Housing application systems are currently unavailable whilst we carry out maintenance work.

This work affects:

  • Our housing application system
  • Applying for a housing transfer/ exchange
  • Change of housing circumstance forms

We apologise for any inconvenience this causes you. Please check again for a few days.

Who can apply?

You can apply for council housing if you’re over 18 and have lived in the borough for at least the past two years.

Will you get a home?

That depends on your level of priority.

Homes are very limited. And to allocate homes, the housing register ranks you based on your level of housing need.

  • nearly all homes are let to applicants classed as ‘additional preference’
  • less than one in ten homes are let to applicants in the 'reasonable preference' band
  • and if you’re classed as ‘no preference’, you won’t be housed. Nor can you bid for advertised properties.

Complete the online self-assessment form to see which priority you are

If you’re not considered ‘additional preference’, you should really look for alternative accommodation.

You can see the rules about who gets priority for a transfer in the council’s allocations policy.

Alternative housing choices Click to get info

Affordable home ownership

Discover lower-cost ways of owning your own home

Supported and sheltered housing

If you’re unable to support yourself independently, you may benefit from supported or sheltered housing.

How to apply?

Step 1:

Fill in the online housing self assessment form. This will tell you if you are likely to be eligible for and can apply for council housing.

Step 2:

Once you've completed the self assessment and received your reference number you can apply for council housing using this online form.

You’ll also need the following information before you start:

  • names, addresses and dates of birth of people in your household
  • National Insurance numbers
  • immigration status
  • address history for the past five years
  • details of anyone who needs support from, or gives support to, your household
  • any health or disability information
  • contacts of your support worker/ anyone you wish to deal with your application on your behalf
  • names of any household member who’s related to an employee or councillor of Waltham Forest Council
  • details of any household member who’s had action taken against them due to anti-social behaviour, or been evicted for rent arrears.

Help with completing online forms

If you don't have access to a computer, you can visit a Library Plus branch where you can use a self-service pc to log your request/report. Staff are available to support you if you need it.

What happens next?

After you apply online, you’ll be given a temporary registration number. You’ll also be reminded to log on 48 hours later when you’ll get your bidding number.

If your circumstances change

If you move address, or any part of your application details change, let us know as soon as possible. This can affect your application.

Let us know your change of circumstances on this online form.