Who Can Use This Service

To be considered for social housing, you must be meet our eligibilty criteria below and demonstrate a housing need.  Further information on factors which determine whether you can or cannot be considered for social housing can be found below:

You must first satisfy certain eligibility criteria to be considered for social housing.

Eligible criteria includes:

  • Your immigration status must allow you to receive social housing; and demonstrate a recourse to public funds.
  • You must be over the age of 16 (if you are under 18 you should contact the Housing Options Department to discuss whether an independent tenancy is the best option for you).

Once your eligibility has been assessed, we will need to determine if you qualify to join our social housing register. To be considered for social housing you must demonstrate a housing need. Housing Need is defined as meeting one or more of our reasonable preference categories. Further information on our qualification criteria and 'reasonable preference categories' can be found here.

Please note, after satisfying eliibility criteria and demonstrating a Housing Need, Southend Borough Council may only allocate accommodation to people who are defined as qualifying persons. The following classes of applicants will not qualify for entry onto the Homeseekers Register:

  • Applicants who are assessed as having no housing need will not qualify for entry onto the Homeseekers Register. Housing Need is defined as meeting one or more of the reasonable preference categories
  • Those who have the means to resolve their own circumstances
  • Applicants who own a home or part of a home, whether it is abroad or in the UK.
  • Applicants with a history of unnacceptable behaviour

If you have a history of rent arrears, anti-social behaviour or any other unacceptable behavior you may be excluded from the scheme.

For a guide on how to apply for social housing, click on the ‘help’ tab at the top of the page.

If you do not fill in the application form properly you will need to correct any errors before we can process it. Your application will be dated from when the correctly completed form is received.

If you do not provide us with the documents required your application may be accepted onto the housing register but will not be awarded any priority. Once the documents are received your application will be assessed and placed in the appropriate band from the date the documents were received. Click Prioritising Applications for more details on our banding scheme.

Once accepted on the scheme, you will be able to bid for all properties suitable for your needs. For example, you will be able to bid for properties that match the number of bedrooms appropriate to the size of your household. You can download the Allocations Policy by clicking the Forms and Information link.

Who cannot use the service?

You cannot use this service if you have not completed an application form and been accepted onto the housing register.

There are also some people who will not by law be eligible to join the housing register. These are:

  • Certain people who are subject to Immigration Control under the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act

  • Certain people from abroad who are not subject to immigration control but who are not habitually resident in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland

  • People (including members of their household) who have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour that makes them unsuitable to be a tenant.

For more detailed information contact our Housing Advice Team on 01702 215002.