Local housing information

There are currently over 8,500 applicants on the Common Housing Register, waiting for social housing in the borough. Between April 2011 and the end of March 2012, there were only 558 properties to let.

This means that if you already have your own tenancy it is very unlikely that you will be able to get alternative accommodation via the Common Housing Register.

Kensington and Chelsea is one of the most popular areas to live in the UK. It is the most densely populated borough in the country, with an estimated 169,000 people living here. According to figures collected in 2009, the number of people who own their homes in the Royal Borough is lower than in the rest of the country.  About a quarter of households live in social housing (which includes homes rented from the Council and housing associations), and a quarter live in the private rented sector. This is much higher than the London average. With such high demand and a shortage of accommodation, house prices and rent can be very high.

There are many tenants in Kensington and Chelsea who for a number of reasons wish to move. If you believe you have a need to be re-housed to social housing, you should contact the Council's Housing Opportunities Team on 020 7361 3008.

However, while each year demand for these properties goes up, the number of vacancies that become available, gets smaller. The number and sizes of the properties let was as follows:

Properties let via the Common Housing Register 11-12

You will see from this that the larger the property you need, the longer you will have to wait for social housing as fewer larger, family sized properties become available each year. Unless you have high priority for housing, it is unlikely that we will ever be able to offer you social housing. Even high priority applicants are likely to wait for five years or more to be housed and possibly longer for three bedroom and larger properties

You may wish to consider other options for your housing. The Housing Opportunities Team can offer advice on schemes available to you. For further information about housing options, please call: 020 7361 3008.

Who can register for housing with the Royal Borough?

Most people can register for housing with the Council. However in certain situations we may feel that you have no priority for housing. This means you will have no prospect of being housed through the Council, unless your circumstances change.

By law, people subject to immigration control and certain groups of people from abroad are ineligible to be housed through a council (except in particular circumstances) and this means they cannot register with us for housing.

The same applies to people we consider to be guilty of ‘unacceptable behaviour,’ meaning that they or someone in their household has behaved in a way which would make them unsuitable to be a tenant.

• see social housing in the borough

You can use our new online housing self-assessment form to help you understand your likelihood of being housed and to provide you with some advice and information.