Look for a council home

In Rotherham, we allocate social rented homes through a choices-based letting scheme.

Before you are able to look and bid for a Council or Housing Association home, you will need to submit an application to join Rotherham’s Housing Register. If you qualify to go on the housing register, then you can show your interest in advertised properties.

Qualifying for the housing register 

To qualify to go on Rotherham’s housing register you must:

• be aged 16 years or older
• meet the residency test to Rotherham other than where there are exemptions
• be in housing need
• not owe rent arrears, or other housing related debt, exceeding the equivalent to eight weeks rent
• have not been evicted from a council or housing association tenancy in the last 5 years. This includes if a possession order was issued but you left before eviction
• have not had a cancelled housing application in the last twelve months

How to join the housing register

If you believe that you meet the eligibility criteria, then you will need to make an application on Housing Online. If you do not have access to a computer at home, you can use a computer for free at your local library. 

Join the housing register

Once you have made your application, you will need to upload the required documents below:

• proof of photographic identity for everyone to be rehoused including children (passport, driving licence)
• proof of income (such as one month’s full bank statement, pay slips, benefit award letters)
• proof of current address (such as a bank statement, or recent gas or electricity bill)
• details of your address history for the past five years
• proof that you have lived in Rotherham for three of the last four years (exemptions apply, see section 3.2 of the Housing Allocation Policy)
• evidence of your right to live in the UK (passport, documents from the Home Office or share codes for all household members to prove immigration status)
• if you are pregnant, proof of your pregnancy (MATB1)
• if you have children living with you, we will need to see proof of Child Benefit

Without these documents, we are unable to process your application. Once you have completed your housing application and uploaded all the required supporting documents onto your online account, please call us on 01709 336009 to arrange a telephone pre-tenancy appointment to verify your application. A pre-tenancy appointment is completed over the telephone to assess your housing application in accordance with the Council’s Housing Allocation Policy.