Welcome to the Waltham Forest page on the East London Lettings Company website.
Important Note for Waltham Forest Customers
We have recently made some changes to the system and this will affect all Waltham Forest applicants who were previously listed as Priority Homeseekers and who were eligible to bid for properties where the 'PH' (Priority Homeseeker) icon was displayed as part the property advert. With effect from 23/09/2020, all applicants previously highlighted as Priority Homeseekers will be known as Homeseekers and will be eligible to bid for properties where the 'H' (Homeseeker) icon is displayed within the advert. It should be noted that this will not have any impact upon the level of rehousing priority attached to individual applications. This will remain unchanged.
There are also some updates that may affect applicants previously listed as Homeless Homeseekers who were eligible to bid for properties where the 'HH' icon is displayed within the property adverts. For those Homeless Homeseekers who have been placed into temporary accommodation provided through the London Borough of Waltham Forest, there will be no change. However, for those Homeless applicants who are not in temporary accommodation and who were previously listed as Homeless Homeseekers, these customers will now be re-classified as Homeseekers and will only be eligible to bid for properties where the 'H' icon is displayed within the property advert. Please contact the Waltham Forest Rehousing Team (Housing-Registration@walthamforest.gov.uk) if you would like any further information regarding these updates.
Our current allocations policy was introduced in September 2013.
Key points to note;
You must be at least 18 years of age to apply on the housing register
You must be living at an address in Waltham Forest, and have lived in the borough for two years, to be accepted onto the register (except in exceptional circumstances)
If you have been assessed as having `no preference', you can remain on the register but will not be able to bid for properties
You must renew your application every 12 months (you will receive a message on the website telling you when your application needs to be renewed)
If you an accepted homeless case, you may be offered a private sector tenancy as the way our duty towards you is fulfilled.
Succession to a council tenancy is restricted to spouses and resident partners only
You can review your application online to check the priority you have been given (including any points you have been awarded)
We will shortly be moving to a new allocations policy – details will be given on the website soon
Epping, Wickford and Billericay are out of borough areas. This map does not represent where these areas are in relation to Waltham Forest.
Accessible housing now available through the Choice Homes Scheme
If you are assessed as needing an adapted home because of a disability, please remember that we try and let all of our accessible homes through Choice Homes.
If you have been assessed by the Council's Health & Disability Panel and have been given priority for a specific type of accessible housing, you need to keep your eyes on the Choice Homes website for advertised accessible homes.
How will I know if the property advertised has the facilities I need?
We will use the Accessible Housing Register categories to describe the property in the advert. For more information, please read the key to symbols page.
What is the Accessible Housing Register (AHR)?
The Accessible Housing Register (AHR) has been developed to add to the information already available to housing applicants when using Choice Based Lettings schemes. This information allows disabled applicants to bid for properties which meet their mobility/access needs and reduce the number of properties considered accessible being let to applicants who do not need them.
An AHR provides information about a property's accessibility in a consistent format. For example, whether a property is wheelchair accessible, has no steps or stairs, has a lift, or is located close to shops, transport and community facilities.
For more information or if you are unsure how this may affect you, please contact the contacting Housing Registration Section on 020 8496 5422 or call the Disability Adviser Melinda Christopher on 020 8496 5545.
Private Sector Lettings – Another Option?
We currently have over 8,500 Council tenants and other residents on our housing register, of which over 2,000 are homeless families residing in temporary accommodation (figures last updated June 2018).
As an alternative to social housing, the Council's Private Sector Lettings Team offers assistance to find homes for homeless households in temporary accommodation. The service runs a Self-Help scheme, which provides financial assistance to customers who find a private rented property for themselves. By using this scheme, our customers can live in a property and an area of their own choosing, instead of being given long-term temporary accommodation by the Council which may be a long distance away from Waltham Forest. We can also assist some Council tenants to move via this scheme to a home which may be better suited to their needs.
For full details of these options, please contact the Private Sector Lettings Team on 020-8496-5349 or contact them via email at: PrivateSectorLettings@walthamforest.gov.uk
Redbridge London and Quadrant