Applying for a transfer

What is the Housing Register?

The council maintains a combined list of people applying for social housing and existing council and housing association tenants who have applied to move into different accommodation.

Am I eligible?

To join the housing register you must be assessed as having a need to move and be:

•  a secure (permanent) tenant of Croydon Council
•  an assured (permanent) housing association tenant living in the borough.

Do I qualify to go on the housing register?

You qualify to go on the council register if:

• You cannot afford to rent or buy a suitable home privately
• You do not owe rent arrears from a previous tenancy
• You have not broken the tenancy conditions or have been guilty of criminal or anti-social behaviour.

What level of housing need must I have?

Your application will go on the housing register if you have at least a “moderate” housing need – which means:

• You must be at least two bedrooms overcrowded according to the bedroom standard
• Your housing is in a poor state of repair and has a moderate ongoing effect on your health
• You have a medical condition or disability which is moderately affected by your housing
• You are homeless according to the Housing Act 1996
• You need to move on welfare grounds because you are leaving local authority care, have been referred by a council social worker, or you are a foster carer or adoptive parent and need to move to larger accommodation in order to accommodate a child looked after by Croydon council.

Does anyone get more priority for housing?

Yes, if you are assessed as having a housing need you will get increased priority if you are:

• Working
• Training
• Registered as foster carers and adoptive parents by Croydon Council.

Armed forces personnel

If you are a serving or former member of the armed or reserve forces you will also be awarded additional preference and your application will go into band 1 of the scheme.  This applies if you are a former member of the armed or reserve forces, if you have been injured or disabled as a result of your service and it also applies to bereaved widows and civil partners of deceased service men and women. 

We may inspect your home before we make you any offers of a transfer to check that you have looked after your home in accordance with your tenancy agreement. Your priority could be reduced if there are items of repair, maintenance or damage for which you are responsible that have not been repaired. Your transfer application could also be suspended if you have not kept your rent account up to date.

How do I apply?

You will need to create an account before you can apply for a housing transfer. 

Housing online service, user guide (PDF, 740KB)

Housing online service frequently asked questions (PDF, 600KB)
 

Apply now

Once your account is created and you log in, you will need to complete eligibility questions under the option ‘My Housing Options’. Once you complete the questions and are deemed eligible, you will be given access to complete the housing transfer application.

If you have any questions about the housing register, please email HSG-REHOUSING@croydon.gov.uk

Please note: we only transfer a few households each year.  

If you transfer to a smaller home you may be eligible for a cash payment of up to £8,000 (see Grants for moving to a smaller home).

Other options

Alternative options for moving house include:

• the Homebuy Scheme, which offers council or housing association tenants loans to help them buy their own home
• low-cost home ownership schemes where you can part-buy and part-rent your home
• the HomeSwapper scheme - this is a free online mutual exchange service that gives secure council and housing association tenants the chance to swap homes with other secure tenants locally or anywhere in the UK (see the HomeSwapper Scheme).

For further information on available home exchange and/or purchase schemes see the links above.

What happens if I have already applied for a transfer but want to change the information on my transfer application?

• If you want to add a person to your application complete and return a Housing application - inclusion form (see downloads below).
• If you want to exclude a person from your application complete and return a Housing application - exclusion form (see downloads below).
• If you change your address complete and return a Housing application - change of address form (see downloads below).

Waiting list

Check your position on the housing waiting list