Advice: Can I get Housing Association accommodation?

Housing associations are not-for-profit organisations that provide permanent, rented accommodation. They provide accommodation for people on low incomes who cannot afford to buy or rent privately, including those who are homeless or living in poor conditions. There are about 1,900 housing associations providing around 2 million homes across England.

To get housing association accommodation, you usually have to register on a waiting list and allocations are made according to level of housing need. Most homes are rented to people nominated by local councils. Some hostels for homeless people can nominate residents who are ready to live independently.

Some housing associations run shared ownerships schemes that help people who cannot afford to buy a home outright. With shared ownership you get a mortgage for a share of the property and also pay a proportion of rent to the housing association.

Housing associations that are registered with the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) are called Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).

Further information

• To find out more about how to apply to housing associations and who is eligible, look at Shelter's website.
• Contact one of the housing advice services listed on Homeless London. To find the nearest housing advice service of any type select Homeless advice from Service on Search all services or select Housing Department to find only your local council housing/homeless advice service.
• Look at the websites of the regulation and membership bodies for housing associations: Tenant Services Authority (TSA) and the National Housing Federation.