Join the housing register

People living in the borough

Anyone aged 18 and over and who is eligible and qualifies for the housing register can apply to join the Housing Register. However, you must have resided in the borough for 5 continuous years before your application and you will also need to have an 'identified housing need' (this includes but is not limited to: overcrowding, unsuitable property conditions and insanitary conditions).  

Non dependent applicants aged 16 or 17 may join the housing register if they require independent or semi independent accommodation not provided by social services. Examples incluide lone teenage parents and young people leaving care.

Exceptions

If you live outside the borough you can only join the Housing Register if:

• You are applying under the Right to Move Scheme, the Pan London Housing Reciprocal Agreement or the Homes Mobility Scheme
• You are a household falling in the Housing Transfer Target Group
• You are an existing secure, introductory or assured tenant(s) of council or registered provider partner(s)
• You are a young persobn looked after by the Council and have been placed in care out of borough
• You are fleeing violence and harassment which makes it unsafe for you to remain in the area where you lived
• You are in receipt of adult social care services provided by the Council and have been placed in a hospital or residential care or other accommodation under ongoing social care duties with Kingston
• You are currently serving, or have recently served with the armed forces
• You have a serious injury, illness or disability resulting (wholly or part) from your service in the forces
• Your partner died in conflict and you are about to lose you home provided by the Ministry of Defense
• Kingston Council has accepted a full housing duty which is continuing under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) to your household
• You would normally be owed the main homelessness duty by Kingston Council and have been placed in a private rented accommodation throguh the Council's homelessness prevention scheme
• You are a member of the Gypsy and Traveller community 

Who is disqualified?

If you or a member of your household has been involved in unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make you an unsuitable tenant of the Council then you could face being disqualified. Please see the allocations policy for more information.

Types of housing

If you’re on the Housing Register, you can put your bid for:

• council and housing association homes

• sheltered housing (If you are 60 years old or over)
• pitches on the Swallow Park gypsy and traveller site
• low cost home ownership schemes

You don’t have to apply separately to the nine housing associations who share the Kingston Housing Register. Other housing associations with properties in the borough ask us to nominate people for most of their homes.

If you’re offered the property and you view it, you have 24 hours to decide if you want to accept it.