Social Housing

Social housing is sometimes also called council housing. Social housing is accommodation either managed by the district council or by a not-for-profit housing association with the district council often responsible for allocation.

There can be misconceptions about what social housing is and how easy it is to secure, so we think it is important that hosts and guests understand the realities of applying for social housing.

In Lincolnshire, the allocation of social housing is managed by district councils. Lincolnshire is one large county but it is subdivided into seven districts. You can find out which area you live in using the UK Government website.

We have also created maps of each of the seven districts that you can view below:

• City Of Lincoln Council area
• West Lindsey District Council area
• East Lindsey District Council area
• North Kesteven District Council area
• South Kesteven District Council area
• Boston Borough Council area
• South Holland District Council area

Each of these districts manages the allocation of their own social housing or housing association properties. Applications for social housing should be made in the district where guests are living. It is unlikely any guests would be successful in securing social housing in another area of the UK/outside the area they have a local connection.

Social housing is not free. Tenants still need to pay rent. However, that rent may be more affordable compared to private rented accommodation.

Please remember that rental costs are not the only costs associated with social housing. Other costs include council tax, service charges and bills for electricity, gas and water. Properties may not be furnished so you may also need to provide your own furniture and other household items. Social housing can also often come without window dressings, flooring or fitted white goods.
 
Social housing usually involves joining a waiting list, and the people on the list are prioritised into bands – for example people who are homeless or have children might be higher up the waiting list / on a higher band than single adults and/or those who are not homeless. It is a priority system assessed by the relevant district council. 

Waiting lists vary considerably from one area to another, and waiting lists are always changing as people join and leave them. This means it is hard to predict how long anyone might be on a social housing waiting list for but it could be many months or even years.

Guests may need to explore if they are eligible for an increase in their universal credit to help contribute to the rental costs and service charges of social housing. Guests can use benefit calculators and look at local housing allowances to help with this. Guests can also contact the Job Centre/Department for Work and Pensions to discuss eligibility for help with social housing costs. There is further information on the UK Government website.

If the guest joins a social house waiting list and receives a reasonable offer of accommodation, they will be expected to accept it, even if it is in a different area to the desired location. District councils will try to take account of a guest’s employment when deciding if a property is suitable, but they cannot guarantee a home in the preferred location.  

Refusing a suitable offer can mean the council end their housing duty to the guest. 

Whilst anyone can apply for social housing this should not be relied upon as an easy way to obtain accommodation, it is designed to be a safety net for those most in need. 
Any guests successful in securing social housing may have to move somewhere else in their district (which might involve the disruption of changes of jobs for adults, changes of school for children and so on).

In summary, the upsides of social housing are likely to be a lower rent compared with privately renting. The downside of social housing is likely to be a longer waiting period and a lack of choice over location.

If you have any further questions, or need support in applying for social housing, please email the LCC Migration Team on homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

In an emergency situation, where guests are immediately homeless, those guests should contact their district council to request emergency housing. If the emergency is during normal work hours guests should use the relevant email address below; if the emergency is in the evening or at weekends then guests should use the out-of-hours telephone number for each district.