It can take a very long time, sometimes many years to find a new home, as there are thousands of people waiting to be rehoused and very few available social housing properties.

There is lots of information on this website, explaining the different housing options available and what support there is to help you decide.

Please visit the home page

As the Council does not own any properties, the homes we advertise on this website are mainly owned by Housing Associations and Registered Social Housing Providers.

By law, we have to check that you are eligible to apply for housing and it also helps us allocate tenancies fairly.

By applying, we will have the information we need to make sure that those who have the greatest need are given priority for housing, which follows government guidance.

To apply please click 'Apply Now' button on the top right of this page

Anyone can submit an application and each application is assessed individually, but in some instances we will not be able to accept you on to our register.

Some people are not eligible to access social housing or be on the housing register, for example, people who are:
 

• subject to Immigration Control under the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act;
• from abroad who are not subject to immigration control but who are not do not usually live in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland.

We may accept and register your application, but in some instances a housing association may not offer you a home if they assess you as being an unsuitable tenant, because you or a member of your household have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour or have outstanding rent arrears therefore you may not meet the housing associations policy criteria.

We aim to process your application and send you an email as soon as possible, If you have chosen to receive a letter by post this may take a little longer to reach you.

Some customers may be asked to prove their eligibility for UK assistance and recourse to public funds, if this is the case we will not be able to process your application until we receive the requested documentation.

If someone in your household has a medical condition, which is being made worse by their current accommodation you need to make this clear on your application. We can then consider your application properly and housing associations can be made aware of your needs when you are offered a property. If we need any further information, we will contact you to discuss the type of supporting information we may need.

We will use the council's Housing Allocation Policy to assess your application.

See the council's Housing Allocation Policy first to understand what we take into account when we assess your priority.

If you still think your priority band is incorrect, contact the Housing Solutions Team on 0300 303 8874 to discuss your application further.

It is important that you tell us of any changes to your circumstances so that your application can be updated. You can do this online using your log in.

After you tell us about a change we may need to reassess your housing need, so you may not be able to bid on available homes for a short period of time whilst we do this.

If you need help with bidding, first ask a friend, family member or support worker to help. They can bid on your behalf on the internet if they have your unique application number and your date of birth.

The Housing Solutions Team will be able to assist if you have no one to help you on 0300 303 8874

Yes, you can sign up for alerts to be sent to your email from the Housing Solutions Team, letting you know when properties become available in the areas you would like to move to.

Yes, when you bid for a property online you will be able to see how many other bids there are for each property. This can be found on your "My Account" page for the last 5 bids you have placed or by clicking on the "my previous bids" link. You will also see your "position" this is an indication of where you are in the queue, so position 1 to 5 will mean you are somewhere between 1st and 5th in the queue.

Be aware that your position can change as more people place their bids because people may place a bid who have a higher priority or who have been waiting longer.

From time to time you will see that a property has been allocated to someone in a lower band than you. This is often the case where a property has certain adaptations. Housing associations will always try to match properties with disabled facilities to those that need them.

It can also happen in some cases where you might not meet the housing association’s policies because you are behind with paying your rent, or because of an age restriction that's in place for certain property types for example, and it is then offered to the next eligible person, even if they are in a lower band.

You can do this by either emailing housing solutions@rochdale.gov.uk or writing to:
Rochdale Housing Solutions, Number 1 Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale, OL16 1XU