Check if you're eligible and apply to join the housing register

Social housing in Camden

Social housing is the most affordable type of housing. It is rented from the council or a housing association.

Because rent is high in London there is high demand for social housing. We understand the pressures faced by households living in Camden and are doing all that we can to help.

Unfortunately, more people need social housing than the number of homes available.

Camden's housing register

The housing register is a list of households in Camden that have applied and are eligible to bid for a council or housing association home.

There are currently over 7,600 households on the register looking for a home, an increase of 9% this year.
Less than 3% of homes become available for letting each year.
Two-thirds of homes that become available are studios or 1-beds.
Fewer than 60 3-beds and 25 4-beds became available in 2023. There are currently nearly 2,000 households looking for a 3-bed and 500 for a 4-bed.

Our housing allocation scheme (PDF) sets out who can apply for social housing and how applications are assessed. The scheme allows us to fairly assess household circumstances. This means that those with the most significant housing needs receive priority for housing.
There are other housing options available that may help you find a settled home quicker.

Check you are eligible

Step 1 of the council housing and housing associations: step-by-step guide.

To join the housing register you must have:

lived in Camden for 5 out of the last 7 years
a need to move, for example because of ill health, overcrowding, experiencing harassment or have more bedrooms than you need
no more than £32,000 in household savings or financial assets
no more than 10 weeks rent arrears

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to the housing register criteria. If any of these apply to you, you can still complete the application. This does not mean that you will automatically qualify. An officer will still need to look at your application.

If you have more than £32,000 you might still be able to apply if you:

qualify for extra care sheltered housing
need a fully adapted home which is not available in the private sector 
need to move for redevelopment reasons.

If you have not lived in Camden for 5 of the last 7 years you might still be able to apply if you:

are placed outside of Camden by us in emergency accommodation or residential care or leaving accommodation we provided for you as a looked after child
are fleeing abuse, violence or harassment
are a Camden Council tenant who is downsizing or needs to move because of major disrepair, or a regeneration scheme. Housing association tenants who are downsizing may also be exempt.
have been found as homeless by our Homelessness Prevention Team
are serving or recently left the armed forces or suffered serious injury with them
need to move because you are fostering a Camden child, are a special guardian, or you need to provide or receive care and would face hardship if you did not do so
have a council tenancy elsewhere, but need to move for employment

If you have rent arrears, your case may still be considered if you are:

an existing Council tenant and keeping to an agreement to reduce arrears
a council tenant and moving to a more affordable or smaller home and may qualify for a payment which would reduce your arrears
suffering abuse, harassment or violence
in need of essential repairs

Apply to join the housing register

Step 2 of the council housing and housing associations: step by step guide.

How to apply

You will need to complete a housing application form to join the housing register. We use this to assess if you‘re eligible and to decide your housing need.

The application will take about 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete
You cannot save your application and come back to it
Make sure you have enough time to complete it in one go

You will need the following information to complete the application:

Addresses for the last 7 years
Full names and dates of birth for everyone in your household who will be moving with you
Immigration status of everyone in your household who will be moving with you
Details of your income and savings
Medical conditions or disabilities of everyone in your household who will be moving with you
Due dates of expectant mothers who will be moving with you
If you are an existing Camden Council tenant, your rent payment reference number. You can find this seven-digit number on your rent statement or at the bottom right-hand corner of your rent card

It is an offense to knowingly provide false information (including to withhold relevant information) as part of the housing application or verification process.

After you submit your housing application, your reference number appears on the screen. This confirms that we have received your application and are working to assess it.

It's important to take a note of this number as you will not receive a confirmation email. We are working to fix this.

Start your application

Are you a council tenant?

Yes

Not eligible to join

If you do not meet the criteria to join the housing register, you should explore your housing options.

If you need help to complete this form online, you could ask a relative, friend, or neighbour. If you cannot go online, need additional support, or have a disability that impacts your ability to complete the application, then you should contact us.

You can reset your security number or password for your housing application.

What happens next

Request to provide more medical information

If you told us about a medical condition in your application form, we may ask you for more information. This will depend on your medical condition or disability.

If we need more information, we will post an extra form to you called the Health and Disability Questionnaire. You must complete and return this by post or to Camden’s offices within 21 working days from the date on the letter.

Address:
Camden Council
5 Pancras Square behind King’s Cross
London
N1C 4AG

More information about Health and Housing points

Receive a decision

Once a decision has been made about your application, we will send you a letter to explain it. We may also phone you.

We are currently experiencing a high volume of submissions and it can take up to 10 weeks to respond to you. If you have reported a medical condition and our Medical Assessment Officer needs to look at your case, this may take longer. Please bear with us while we work hard to get back to you.

Eligible to join the housing register

If you qualify, the letter we send will tell you the number of points you have and the reasons why. It will also tell you the size of property you can bid for. You can now bid for properties.

Not eligible to join the housing register

If you do not qualify to join the housing register, the letter will explain the reason for this. There are other housing options that may help you find a settled home.

If you believe this decision is not correct, we encourage you to resolve it by contacting us on 020 7974 4444. You may need to wait before you get through to a member of the team.

If you still do not agree, you can request a review within 21 days of our decision. We aim to respond to you in 21 days but are currently facing a high volume of requests. Find out how to request a review.