Apply to the Housing Register
The housing register has a limited amount of properties available, and a strict eligibility criteria
What is the Housing Register?
The housing register is a list of households waiting for an allocation of social housing in the borough. These properties are owned and managed by either Sutton Council or various housing associations.
There is a very limited supply of social housing in the borough and the demand for properties far outways the supply. There is a strict qualifying criteria to join the register, and even for successful applicants there are long waiting times, often a number of years.
What is the Housing Register?
The housing register is a list of households waiting for an allocation of social housing in the borough. These properties are owned and managed by either Sutton Council or various housing associations.
There is a very limited supply of social housing in the borough and the demand for properties far outways the supply. There is a strict qualifying criteria to join the register, and even for successful applicants there are long waiting times, often a number of years.
How does the Housing Register work?
Once an application has been submitted online it will be assessed by us, if accepted applicants will be given a priority date (the date the application was submitted). If circumstances change giving more priority it will be the date we were informed of the change.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must:
- Have been assessed and be deemed as having a ‘housing need’ by us
- Be aged 16 or over
- Be a citizen of the UK, the Commonwealth or the European Economic Area unless granted refugee status or granted leave to enter or remain in the UK
- Have lived in the London Borough of Sutton for two years continuously immediately prior to application (out of borough applicants will be considered if there is a need to move into the borough to take up employment or avoid hardship)
When assessing applications, financial circumstances will be taken into account. If there are enough funds available for an applicant to rent privately, they will not be accepted to the housing register. The financial threshold is dependent on family makeup, the size of property required, essential outgoings, such as bills and childcare costs.
Applicants with outstanding rent arrears (debt), a history of rent arrears (not paying on time) or anti-social behaviour will not be accepted onto the register until they have demonstrated a change in behaviour for a minimum of 12 months.
Once accepted onto the Housing Register, we operate an online choice based lettings system. The majority of applicants can place bids (this just means expressing an interest) on homes that they would like to live in as they become available.
Once bidding has closed we will look at the shortlist. Bidders are prioritised automatically according to their Band and those who have been waiting the longest (the priority date). If successful, applicants will be contacted to arrange a viewing.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must:
- Have been assessed and be deemed as having a ‘housing need’ by us
- Be aged 16 or over
- Be a citizen of the UK, the Commonwealth or the European Economic Area unless granted refugee status or granted leave to enter or remain in the UK
- Have lived in the London Borough of Sutton for two years continuously immediately prior to application (out of borough applicants will be considered if there is a need to move into the borough to take up employment or avoid hardship)
When assessing applications, financial circumstances will be taken into account. If there are enough funds available for an applicant to rent privately, they will not be accepted to the housing register. The financial threshold is dependent on family makeup, the size of property required, essential outgoings, such as bills and childcare costs.
Applicants with outstanding rent arrears (debt), a history of rent arrears (not paying on time) or anti-social behaviour will not be accepted onto the register until they have demonstrated a change in behaviour for a minimum of 12 months.
Once accepted onto the Housing Register, we operate an online choice based lettings system. The majority of applicants can place bids (this just means expressing an interest) on homes that they would like to live in as they become available.
Once bidding has closed we will look at the shortlist. Bidders are prioritised automatically according to their Band and those who have been waiting the longest (the priority date). If successful, applicants will be contacted to arrange a viewing.
Bands
Applicants will be allocated a Band according to their circumstances:
Additional Priority
Some properties will attract certain types of applicant, such as:
- Ground floor properties – priority is given to applicants who have a medical recommendation for a ground floor property
- Older People’s Accommodation – Priority is given to applicants who have a medical recommendation for this type of accommodation
- Large properties (3 or 4 double bedrooms) – priority is given to large households
Each advert will give details of any additional priority rules that are in place.
Social Housing waiting times
There is a shortage of affordable housing in London, therefore waiting times can be long. As a general guide, the minimum waiting times we would expect for each Band are:
There are no plans to allocate properties to the TNN Band this year therefore we cannot currently estimate the waiting time.
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