How do I apply for council housing?

For people in England who want to rent a home from their local council.

Applies to: England Last checked against official sources: 6 October 2026

You apply for council housing through your local council, and you usually join a waiting list.

Each council sets its own rules for who can apply.
You usually need to be 18 or over, though some councils accept 16 and 17 year olds.
You can sometimes apply to a council even if you do not live in its area.
Councils use points or bands to decide who gets homes first.
You are not guaranteed a home.

Different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

Rules may be different in:

Scotland: Check mygov.scot for Scotland
Wales: Check gov.wales for Wales
Northern Ireland: Check nidirect for Northern Ireland

Key facts

Apply to your local council
Usually 18+ (some councils 16+)
Points or banding decide priority
No guarantee of a home

What you need

Councils set their own rules, so check with yours. Most will ask about:

who will live with you
where you live now and why it does not meet your needs
any health problems made worse by your housing
whether you are homeless or about to be

You usually need to be 18 or over. Some councils accept people aged 16 or 17. You can sometimes apply even if you do not live in that council's area.

Step by step

Find your local council using the GOV.UK postcode tool.
Fill in its housing application. You will usually join a waiting list (sometimes called the housing register).
The council gives you points or puts you in a band, based on how much you need a home.
If your council uses choice-based lettings, look at the homes it advertises.
Check you are eligible for each home (for example, the right size for your household).
"Bid" online, by phone or by text. A bid costs nothing. It just shows you are interested.
The council looks at all the bids and decides who is offered the home.

Who gets priority

Councils give more points or a higher band to people in greater need. This usually includes people who are:

homeless
living in overcrowded conditions
living somewhere that makes a medical problem worse

How long it takes

Each council runs its own waiting list, so ask yours how it works in your area. You are not guaranteed a home.

After you are offered a home

Most new council tenants start on an introductory tenancy. This is a 12-month trial. After that you usually become a secure or flexible tenant, unless the council has started to evict you or extended the trial by 6 months.

Tenancy	How long	Key points
Introductory	12 months	No major improvements, swaps or Right to Buy
Secure	Usually for life	Can rent rooms, swap with permission, use Right to Buy
Flexible	Usually at least 5 years (sometimes 2 to 5)	Council decides what happens at the end

You can have a joint tenancy if you are married or in a civil partnership. Partners who are not married, and relatives, can usually have one after living together for at least 12 months.

If you need help now

If you are homeless or about to be, contact your council's homelessness team straight away. You can also look at housing association homes.

If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

The GOV.UK council finder on this page covers England. Social housing elsewhere in the UK is run under different systems.

Related guides

Where this comes from

Get it done

This takes you to the official service, which is free to use.

Apply for council housing

Common questions

Who gets priority for council housing?

Priority usually goes to people who are homeless, living in overcrowded homes, or whose health is made worse by where they live.

What is choice-based lettings?

Some councils let you 'bid' for homes you like. Bidding does not involve money, it just shows you are interested.

What tenancy will I get?

New council tenants usually start on a 12-month introductory tenancy, then become secure or flexible tenants.

Official sources

1.Council housingwww.gov.uk/council-housing
2.Apply for council housingwww.gov.uk/apply-for-council-housing
3.Council housing: types of tenancywww.gov.uk/council-housing/types-of-tenancy

Checked against GOV.UK on 6 October 2026

Ask about your situation

Please don't include your name, address, National Insurance number or health details. See our privacy notice.