Apply for a council or housing association home

To apply for social housing, you will need to join the housing register. Even if you are eligible, you are not guaranteed to be granted a council or housing association tenancy.

The housing register is a list of households that meet our criteria of housing need, and should be rehoused to a new council or housing association home.

Once you have joined the register, your application will be placed in a priority band reflecting your general housing need. Our housing register is not just based on the time you joined the register, but also the level of priority that we have assigned to your application.

Once we have assigned your application a level of priority, you will be able to express your interest in homes that become available. This is known as 'bidding' on a property.

Eligibility criteria

Not all residents can join the housing register - you must meet the criteria set out in our Housing Allocation Scheme.

You can make an application if you are:

• aged 18 or over
• on a low income that prevents you from renting or buying privately
• a resident of Croydon for over 6 years

You must not be:

• listed on another council’s housing register
• behind on rent for a tenancy
• behind on your council tax payments
• under immigration controls

If you broke your tenancy conditions at a previous property, you will not be able to join the housing register.

If you need more information about immigration controls, see the latest guidance on visas and immigration from the Home Office.

Check if you meet the income requirements

You can only join the housing register if you meet our income requirements.

This means that you must be unable to afford to rent or buy an entry-level home privately.

An ‘entry-level’ home is a property that falls into the lowest 25% of private rent charges or house prices in Croydon.

You must be unable to cover legal fees or other costs that are part of renting or buying a property.

If you can afford to rent or buy an entry-level home privately, you should look for a property on the private rental market instead of joining the housing register. Read our guide to finding a private rented property. 

For information on the allocation of council and housing association homes, see our Housing allocations scheme which explains:

• how you become eligible to join the housing register
• reasons that you may not qualify for the scheme
• the priority of 'banding' that your housing need is given if you qualify for an offer of social housing
• the process of making an application for housing and bidding for a property