Apply for Social Housing
Finding a home in Westminster is difficult, and many people apply to us for social housing. Social housing is housing rented from the Council or a Private Registered Provider, also known as a Housing Association. In Westminster, and across the UK, the demand for social housing far exceeds the supply. This means that even if you qualify to join the Housing Register, you may wait many years before you are offered a home.
Our Housing Allocations Scheme sets out the rules for assessing and prioritising applicants on the Housing Register and allocating our limited supply of social housing.
Read the Allocations Scheme (PDF)
Summary Document (PDF)
Easy Read Document (PDF)
In March 2025, we launched a new Allocations Scheme, to make how we allocate social housing fairer and more transparent. Find out more about the changes.
If you are concerned that you are about to become homeless, you should seek help as soon as possible. For general housing advice, please visit: Get help with homelessness.
Who can apply for social housing: Eligibility criteria
You can apply for social housing in Westminster as a new applicant, or if you are a current Westminster City Council tenant or Registered Provider tenant in Westminster and need to move home in certain circumstances.
To qualify to join the Housing Register you will need to show:
- You are over 18.
- You are a British or Irish Citizen or meet the government’s immigration rules.
- You live permanently in the UK; and
- You live in the City of Westminster and have lived here for at least the last 3 years without a break (we call this our ‘local residency rule’).
- You have savings, investments and capital assets worth less than £70,000 (this includes owning a home either by yourself or with someone else).
- You have a yearly gross income of less than £50,271 if you are eligible to apply for a home with 2 bedrooms or more, or;
- You have yearly gross income of less than £37,701 if you are eligible to apply for a studio or 1 bedroom home.
You will also need to come under a Priority Group set out in the Allocation Scheme.
You may be in a Priority Group if:
- You are a Westminster City Council tenant who needs to be rehoused because your home is part of a regeneration programme.
- You are a Westminster City Council tenant who wants to move to a smaller home (we call this ‘downsizing’ and you may be eligible for a cash payment).
- You are a Westminster City Council tenant with a difficult and urgent housing problem which places you at risk, and that we can only solve through a transfer to a different Westminster property. Or you are a tenant of another Registered Provider who we have agreed to move due to risk.
- You have taken over a Westminster City Council tenancy after the death of your partner or family member, but tenancy law means you are not allowed to stay in the original home or we have refused your request to take over a council tenancy.
- You are leaving the British Armed Forces or you need housing because of your family links to the Armed Forces.
- You are nominated to us by another council service.
- You are homeless.
- You need to move home because your health means your home is unsuitable for you and it cannot reasonably be adapted.
- Your home is overcrowded, unsafe or poor-quality and it is causing a risk to your health.
- You qualify under the Next Generation Scheme.
How to apply and what happens next?
- Review the Housing Allocation Scheme to check if you are eligible and are likely to qualify to join the Housing Register.
- Complete an online application, providing details about yourself and your personal circumstances. We will ask for information to assess your eligibility and priority for social housing.
- We will write to you to confirm the outcome of your Housing Register application. If you are successful, we will inform you of your band and the number of points you have been awarded.
How we allocate social housing
The Housing Register is not a straightforward waiting list, meaning that those who have been on it the longest do not automatically receive an offer of a home. The likelihood of being offered a property depends on:
- Your priority band: You will be placed in a band between A and E, with each band reflecting different levels of housing need. Band A represents the highest priority.
- Number of points: You will be awarded points ranging from 200 to 1000 based on your situation. This determines your priority within your band.
- Your registration date: If two applicants are in the same band with the same number of points, those with an earlier registration date will be given priority.
- Property size: Family-sized housing is very limited. Therefore, even if you have a high priority for housing, this does not necessarily mean we will be able to offer you a home quickly.
Additional priority points
Once you have been placed into a Priority Group, you may be eligible for additional points based on your circumstances. This includes additional points for individuals who have lived in Westminster continuously for 10 years or who have served in the armed forces.
Our new Allocations Scheme no longer gives priority points based on employment. However, if you applied under the previous scheme, you will maintain these points for up to three years.
Section 3 of the Allocation Scheme provides full information on all additional points.
Waiting times
Demand for social housing in Westminster far exceeds supply. Currently, there are over 6,000 applicants on the Housing Register, but on average, only around 800 homes become available each year, the majority of which are studio and 1-bedroom homes.
It is difficult to provide accurate waiting times, as the Housing Register is not a straightforward waiting list. However, applicants are often faced with waiting many years.
How we offer homes
We offer homes in two ways:
- You can bid for a home through our Choice-Based Lettings (CBL) system.
- We may make a direct offer of a home.
We advertise available homes each week on the Choice-Based Lettings website Home Connections. If you are on the Housing Register, you should check the website regularly. You can bid for as many homes as you are eligible for.
