Register for social housing in the Borough
There are just under 8,000 social homes to rent within the Borough of Great Yarmouth. Almost 6,000 of these are owned by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and the remaining 2,000 are owned by registered providers. When a property to rent becomes available, the Council will nominate an applicant from its housing register to the registered provider or allocate an applicant to a Council owned property in line with the Council's Housing Allocations Policy.
If you want to join the Housing Register for renting social housing, or apply for affordable housing in our Borough, you need to complete an application form.
Apply to join the housing register (opens new window)
When your application has been submitted you will receive details of your reference number, this will always start with GREATY/XXXX. Some applications can be assessed by the system, these tend to be within Bands D-E, all other applications will show as status 'To be Validated', this means your application has not been assessed yet.
Once your application has been assessed you will receive an email advising you of the Band you have been assigned.
Demand for social housing is extremely high, even if your application is accepted, it does not mean that you will be successful on being offered a property.
Please ensure you include everyone that lives with you on a permanent basis, you cannot include children on your application if you are not the main carer or do not receive child benefit.
Once you have completed the application form you will need to upload documents to prove the following:
- identification for all household members on your application form
- date of birth for all household members
- income details for all household members
- statements for all bank accounts, savings and investments
- evidence of any equity in property or land
- your five-year address history, along with contact details of your current and former landlords or mortgage providers
- if you have a medical or welfare need to move, we need information regarding your condition - this will be from Doctors, Consultants or Occupational Therapists who have undertaken assessments and or a medical diagnosis
- if you have been asked to leave by your landlord, we will need to see evidence of your tenancy agreement and the notice that has been served
What evidence can I provide?
- passport
- birth certificate
- driving licence
- proof of National Insurance number
- proof of address (dated within the past three months)
- deed poll change of name
- workers registration documents
- proof of pregnancy (MATB1)
- proof of Child Benefit (the award letter)
- residence order or other supporting documentation to confirm long-term guardianship
- contract of employment or employee's letter
- payslips
- proof of offer of employment (paid or unpaid)
- proof of self-employment
- proof of benefits
- proof of community contribution
- proof of service in the armed forces and time served
- proof of local connection
- medical evidence
- support agency's letter
- bank statements (for all accounts held for the past three months)
- proof of savings/investments
- proof of homelessness (notice, possession summons or eviction warrant)
- marriage or civil partnership certification
- supporting letter(s)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)/Disability Living Allowance (DLA) award letter
- letter from GP, consultant or any other professional who you or a household member are working with
- occupational therapist reports
- landlord reference from your current or most recent landlord
- utility bills (gas, electric, water)
- tenancy or licence agreement
- Council Tax bill
- letter(s) from family (such as letters asking you to leave the family home)
- Section 21 notice
- settled status documents
leave to remain biometric card (front and back)
What happens next?
We will only be able to process your application when you have provided us with all the supporting evidence. You need to provide this within 28 days of making your application.
Once your application is assessed, you will receive an email advising you of the outcome. The email will advise you of the band you have been awarded and the reason as to why. When you have more than one reason for applying, we will state the highest reason in your letter. This does not mean we have not taken all your circumstances into account.
For example, you may have a low medical need to move that would award you a band D, but you are overcrowded by three bedrooms so you would be a band B. Therefore, you will be a band B for overcrowding, but your email will not include the medical reason.
How long will I have to wait to be housed?
This depends on the size, type of housing, where you need to live, and the level of priority you have for a move. Not all applicants on the Housing Register will be made an offer of housing and receiving one offer is not a guarantee that another offer will be made.
Applicants with the highest need are more likely to be housed than those in a lower priority band. However, some property sizes and types may be let to applicants with a lower housing need.
If you want to live in an urban area you will probably be housed sooner than someone wanting to live in a countryside area. If you need ground floor accommodation or a larger property such as a 4-bed property, even if you have a high priority for a move, you will have a long wait and in some circumstances you may have to wait for a number of years.
Waiting times depend on the number of available properties, your priority banding, and how long you have been on the housing register.
The information below shows average waiting times for this year, as well as historical data.
When will I hear about a property?
There is a very high demand for social housing across the country, including here in Great Yarmouth. Because of this, it can take a long time for applicants to be offered a property.
If you are in one of the lower housing bands, it may take several years before you are considered for an offer. During this time, you may not hear from us regularly, as we are only able to get in touch when a suitable property becomes available for you.
We understand this can be frustrating, but it is important to be aware of how limited social housing is. We strongly encourage you to keep looking at private renting options as well, as we cannot guarantee that a social housing property will be available for you.
The Council does not operate a bidding system, all properties are shortlisted based on the housing register. This is conducted by property type, banding level and then relevant date. Relevant date is the date you were awarded your current banding.
Shortlisted applicants will be offered a viewing by the landlord, this could be any Registered Provider of social housing in the Borough. You will be expected to decide about the property within 24 hours and may be asked to pay anything from a week to a month's rent at the tenancy sign up. We suggest you start saving for this as tenancies can start immediately.
How do you decide if I can join the housing register?
To join our housing register you must meet eligibility and qualification criteria, set out in our Housing allocations policy and scheme.
You cannot apply if you:
- are subject to immigration control
- are under 18 years old
On 31 July 2025 The Council introduced a new allocation scheme that amended our qualification criteria and Banding system (read the full Housing allocations policy and scheme).
Applications will be placed into one of the following seven bands according to the level of housing need:
- Emergency
- Band A
- Band B
- Band C
- Band D
- Band E
- Band F
The scheme has also introduced more qualification criteria to ensure that housing is allocated to those in the greatest need and that social housing is allocated fairly. You will no longer qualify if you:
- do not have a local connection to our Borough or have not lived in the Borough for the last three years
- have conducted unacceptable behaviour that would deem you to be an unsuitable tenant
- if you own property in the United Kingdom or overseas
- you exceed the financial caps in our Housing allocations policy and scheme
Dwelling size need | Annual gross income cap | Savings and assets cap |
|---|---|---|
One-bedroom | £26,000 | £16,000 |
Two-bedroom | £32,000 | £16,000 |
Three-bedroom | £40,000 | £16,000 |
Four-bedroom and above | £50,000 | £16,000 |
We have also removed the clause that allowed you to have multiple housing offers. A person on the housing register due to being homeless, will only receive one offer of accommodation, all other applicants will receive two offers.
How will you assess the size of the property I may be offered?
The number of bedrooms required for each household is calculated in accordance with age, sex, marital status composition and the relationship of the members to one another.
People | Size of room |
|---|---|
Married or cohabiting couple | One bedroom with two bedspaces |
Single adult parent | One bedroom with one bedspace |
Any other person aged 16 or over | One bedroom with one bedspace |
Two children of same sex under 16 | One bedroom with two bedspaces |
Two children of the opposite sex under 10 years | One bedroom with two bedspaces |
Two children of the opposite sex with one child being 10 or over | Two bedrooms, each with one bedspace |
If you have children that do not live with you permanently, as you are not recognised as the main carer or in receipt of all benefits for this child, they will not be assessed as part of your household. This means you will not receive a bedroom allocation for them in your assessment.
Do I need to keep you up to date about my circumstances?
Yes. If your circumstance change you must log into your account and update the sections of your application form that have changed. Your application form will then be reassessed to see if the changes alter your banding. We will also require any supporting evidence you have regarding this change, this can be uploaded on your account.
If you fail to update us you may miss out on property offers, or a property could be withdrawn from you at the viewing stage.
It is essential you provide the correct information or do not knowingly withhold information, as Great Yarmouth Borough Council can bring prosecution under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996. It could also lead you to be disqualified from the housing register.
Where false information has resulted in you receiving accommodation, the landlord will bring possession proceedings for the recovery of the property. This will result in your household becoming homeless.
How do I apply for sheltered accommodation?
If you are aged 60 or over and have a housing need, you can contact the Housing Advice team and they will arrange for an assessment of your needs.
Depending on the outcome of the assessment and your level of need, you may be considered for sheltered housing or Housing with Care accommodation.
Below is a short video which provides information about sheltered housing, the services available, and the schemes designed to help you live independently.
For further information, please visit our sheltered accommodation page.
