Qualifying and priority criteria for social housing - Wandsworth Borough Council (2024)

FAQs

Who gets top priority for council housing? ›

Most councils give priority to people who have a connection to the area. For example, if you have close family living there.

Be eligible for an allocation of housing under immigration laws • Be 18 years old or over (55 or over for sheltered housing applicants) • Not have refused any offer or nomination of suitable accommodation within the last two years • Have a housing need (e.g. are overcrowded or the accommodation is not suitable for ...

Check your council's website on GOV.UK to find out how it works in your area. You'll probably need to: be on a low income or not have a large amount of savings. have lived in the area for a number of years, or have a job or family there - this is called a 'local connection'

People on the social housing register are given a "need score" out of 20 (20 being the highest need) and a priority category (A for high priority and B for lower priority).

You can apply for social housing in the borough if you are over the age of 18. However, under the allocations scheme, people who live outside of the borough and those who have not lived in Wandsworth for the last three years continuously will receive lower priority and are unlikely to receive an offer of accommodation.

There is no fixed income limit for social housing in the UK that applies universally across the entire country. Instead, income limits can vary significantly depending on the specific housing association, local authority, or housing authority responsible for allocating social housing in a given area.

Housing Options and Assessment Team

Telephone: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm: 020 8871 6161. Out of hours emergency social services: 020 8871 6000.

Top performing boroughs

Hackney also saw more than half of all new homes delivered (57%) come via the social housing sector, with Barking and Dagenham (49%), Ealing (46%) Westminster (45%), Brent (45%), Hillingdon (42%), Havering (40%), Redbridge (25%), and Hounslow (22%) also ranking within the top 10.

What makes you priority for council housing near London? ›

Check if you have the right priority

You must get reasonable preference if you: are homeless or at risk of violence. live in overcrowded or very bad housing conditions. need to move for health, disability or welfare reasons.

58% of households who were new to the social housing sector in 2022/23 were on the waiting list for less than a year in that local authority area before they got their letting. 9% of households were on the waiting list for 5 years or more before getting a social letting in that area.

To claim Housing Benefit you usually have to: have a low income or be claiming other benefits. be at least 16 years old – if you've been in care you'll need to be at least 18. either have less than £16,000 in savings or be getting the guarantee part of Pension Credit.

Your total household gross income must be less than £80,000. You cannot purchase a home at market price in your local area. You must demonstrate that you have strong local ties to your area. Ideally, you will have lived there for at least five years.

There are over 7,400 people currently on the waiting list, and a shortage of available homes, which means extremely long waiting times for council housing. Depending on your situation, you could be waiting up to 10 years for a large family home and up to four years for a studio, one or two bedroom property.

Councils and housing associations can charge either social rent or affordable rent. Social rent is more common. It is less than you'd pay a private landlord for a similar property. Affordable rent can be up to 80% of what a private landlord normally charges.