Before you apply for social housing in Oxford

Please read this important and useful information before you apply for social housing in Oxford.

Is social housing the best option for you?

Did you know that most customers applying for social housing in Oxford have little or no chance of being offered a tenancy for many years?

Finding your own home, such as renting in the private sector, is often the fastest solution for most customers because:

• there are over 3000 customers on the Housing Register
• only 5 applicants out of every 100 on the Housing Register are offered social housing each year and more applicants assessed as having the highest housing needs are added each month
• most applicants in a lower priority band who require a one-bed or family-sized property can expect to wait around 10 to 20 years
• even customers in the highest need may wait a long time before they are made an offer (as the Council follows a legal system that prioritises people by need)

Useful to know

People on the Housing Register have shared that if they had known how unlikely it was that they would be housed, they would have looked at other options earlier like renting a home in the private sector.

See our Housing advice pages for other support and advice on related matters, such as:

• problems in your private rented sector tenancy
• help to find new private rented accommodation
• support if you've been asked to leave by friends or family
• what to do if you're in need of financial help

Eligibility

Before you can join the Housing Register you must be eligible and qualify for housing in Oxford.

Please use the eligibility checker to see whether you are likely to qualify or have any priority to move – it will only take a minute.

Check your eligibility

Homelessness advice

If you are homeless or worried you'll become homeless please continue with your application but it is also important that you contact us separately for advice as soon as possible.

There is a long wait for social housing even for those in high need, so it is important that you also get advice about your situation as soon as possible.

Also see: If you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

How we prioritise Housing Register applications

We use a banding scheme to prioritise our offers of housing to those with the greatest need.

Download the Housing Register Allocations scheme

Related content

• Submit an application for social housing in Oxford
• Apply to transfer an existing social housing tenancy