Apply to join our Housing Register

Current housing situation

There is a severe lack of social housing in Chelmsford and most Housing Register applicants won't be rehoused this way. It is important to consider other options.

We can't tell you exactly how long it will take to rehouse you through the Housing Register. This is because it is a priority needs register, not a waiting list.

It depends on the properties that become available, who else is showing an interest in them, and their priority.

You can use the feedback tab on HomeOption to give you an idea of where you score for each property, based on your priority.

When the Housing Association let the property, HomeOption update this information. It can take some time for them to update this.

Eligibility criteria

To be considered to join our Housing Register, you must meet the eligibility criteria. This means:

• you must be over 18
• you must not be subject to immigration control
• you must have a housing need (for example, living in an overcrowded house, threatened with homelessness or have a medical condition being made worse by where you are living)

You might not be eligible if:

• you have been evicted for rent arrears within the last five years
• you have been evicted due to unacceptable behaviour
• you can afford to house yourself
• your household has enough savings or capital to live in the private sector
• you don't have a local connection to Chelmsford

You can find more information about our eligibility criteria in our housing need and allocations policy.

Apply

To join the Housing Register for the first time, you need to apply on HomeOption.

You will be prompted to create an account when you log in. You must have an email address to use Home Option.

Evidence

After you have applied to join the Housing Register, you need to provide evidence to support your application. We will email you to tell you the evidence we need.

You can also check which documents we accept as proof and upload your evidence.

Assessing your application

When you have provided your evidence, we will assess your application. You will receive the outcome either in writing, or by email.

Once you have provided all supporting evidence, it can take up to two months to assess your application. This depends on the amount of applications we have received.

You will not be able to log in to HomeOption until we have assessed your application.

Once we have assessed your application, you can start bidding on properties.

If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, you can contact us.

Back to joining our Housing Register