Council housing after settlement

Eligibility

Indefinite leave to remain carries no no-recourse-to-public-funds condition, so it does not exclude a person from the social housing provided by local councils and housing associations, or from the benefits that go with it.

The route by which settlement was obtained does not change this, and neither does nationality. GOV.UK says applications for a council home can be made from the age of 18, and that some councils accept applications from 16, and that it may be possible to apply to a council in an area where the applicant does not live.

A separate habitual residence test applies to entitlement to benefits and to some housing assistance. It asks where a person is actually resident, not what their immigration status is.

How to Apply

Immigration status is proved with a share code generated from the UK Visas and Immigration account, which lasts 90 days and can be used as many times as needed before it expires. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024, so there is no card to produce.

1. Contact your local council: Find your council at GOV.UK.
2. Join the housing register: complete the council's application form. Proof of immigration status, identity and current address is normally required.
3. Assessment: The council assesses your housing need and assigns a priority band.
4. Bidding: GOV.UK describes choice-based lettings, where an applicant tells the council which advertised properties they are interested in. It notes that “this is known as ‘bidding’, but it does not involve money”, and that bids can be made online, by phone or by text.

How Priority Is Decided

GOV.UK says councils decide who is offered housing using a points or banding system based on housing need, and gives as examples of people likely to be offered housing first those who are homeless, live in cramped conditions, or have a medical condition made worse by their current home. The names and numbers of the bands are set by each council, so they differ from place to place.

What does not differ is the statutory floor. Section 166A(3) of the Housing Act 1996 requires an allocation scheme to give reasonable preference to:

• people who are homeless within the meaning of Part 7;
• people owed a homelessness duty, or occupying accommodation secured by an authority;
• people occupying insanitary or overcrowded housing, or otherwise living in unsatisfactory housing conditions;
• people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability;
• people who need to move to a particular locality in the district, where failing to do so would cause hardship to themselves or others.

A scheme may give additional preference within those categories to people with urgent housing needs, including serving and former members of the armed forces with a service-related serious injury, illness or disability.

GOV.UK also sets out what happens at the offer stage: normally there is only a short time to accept, an applicant who declines can usually stay on the list but may move down it, repeated refusals can lead to temporary removal from the list, and a council’s decision can be appealed.

Housing Associations

Housing associations are independent organisations that provide affordable housing. Applications can be made to them directly or through the council's register, depending on the area. Our guide to UK visa fees covers the immigration costs that sit alongside all of this.

Private Renting

Check our right to rent guide for landlord requirements.

Settlement carries no restriction on renting privately. Landlords in England must carry out a right to rent check, and since biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024 that check is done online: the tenant generates a share code from their UK Visas and Immigration account, and it lasts 90 days. See our guide to renting.

Help With Rent

GOV.UK states that Housing Benefit “is being replaced by Universal Credit”, and that a new Housing Benefit claim can only be made by someone who has reached State Pension age, or who is in supported, sheltered or temporary housing — for example temporary accommodation arranged by a council, a refuge for survivors of domestic abuse, or sheltered or supported housing providing care, support or supervision. Otherwise, help with rent comes through Universal Credit.

GOV.UK also lists circumstances in which Housing Benefit is usually not paid: savings over £16,000, unless the person gets Guarantee Credit of Pension Credit; paying a mortgage on their own home; living in the home of a close relative; or already claiming Universal Credit, unless they are in temporary or supported housing.

Settlement carries no no-recourse-to-public-funds condition, so these rules apply on the same terms as to any other eligible resident. Becoming a British citizen does not change the benefit rules, which turn on residence and circumstances rather than nationality. See our guide to benefits after settlement.

If You Are Homeless

Councils in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland owe duties to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and GOV.UK publishes a service for finding the right council. Its published starting point is a local connection — somewhere the person has lived recently, has close family, or works. GOV.UK names five groups who do not need a local connection when applying for housing support from a council in England: current or former members of the UK armed forces; a bereaved spouse or civil partner losing Ministry of Defence housing after a service-related death; a current or former Reservist with a service-attributed serious injury or illness; a care leaver under 25; and a survivor of domestic abuse. See our homelessness guide and general council housing guide.

Questions and answers