Apply for housing

Affordable rented housing is housing for households that cannot afford to buy or rent in the private market.

We maintain the Housing Register for people wanting access to affordable rented housing provided by registered providers operating in the district. We can help you find out if you are eligible and qualify for a registered provider home, explain how the Housing Register points scheme works, and how offers of accommodation to housing associations in the district are made to people on the Housing Register through HomeOptions.

Apply for Housing

The application form to apply to join the Housing Register is online on our HousingOption website. To process your housing application we always require supporting documents which must be uploaded directly onto your housing application after completing the application form. You should ensure you have these documents ready before starting the housing application form. The documents required for the main applicant completing the form are: 

  • a copy of their passport 

or if they do not have one 

  • a copy of their full birth certificate, which shows parent’s names, and 1 form of photo ID.  

Applicants will also need to provide identification for every person on the application. The documents that can be accepted include:

  • Full Birth Certificate
  • Passport
  • Driving Licence
  • European Union Identity Card
  • Immigration documentation

Applicants will also need to provide proof of the household income for anyone over 18 by uploading:

  • 3 of your most recent payslips / proof of benefit awards and 
  • 3 months of bank statements 

Please do not e-mail these supporting documents to East Herts Council’s Housing Options service, you must upload them directly to your housing application to enable your application to be processed.   

To apply to join the Housing Register please register for Housing on the HomeOption website.

You will be able to save the application at any point so you can come back to it later to complete the form.

When you submit the form you will be given your application number, which you will be able to use for bidding for properties on HomeOption once we have photocopies of all the supporting evidence that we require and have set your application to "live". Please note that we cannot process your application and assess your priority for housing without this evidence.

We operate an online housing application system and all applications will have to be made via this method. If you do not have access to the internet, you can come into either of our offices in Bishop's Stortford or Hertford and use the computers available in our reception areas, as well as other public access areas such as libraries, etc.

If you need any help regarding the online application please contact us and we will be happy to advise you.

For information on how points will be awarded and our policy please visit our  Housing Register Policy - Summary of Points page and our Housing Register and Allocations Policy.

For further information, please see our How we allocate Homes page.

Medical Conditions and Housing

If you have a medical condition that is affected by your housing situation the please complete the Housing Application Medical Assessment Form and return it with the rest of your evidence.

Please remember to include a photocopy of any repeat prescriptions and or labels of your current medication.

Property Owners

If you are a property owner you should complete the Property Owners Assessment form and submit it with your application to join the Housing Register.

How HomeOption Works

HomeOption is a choice based letting scheme for allocating all affordable rented housing owned by registered providers in East Herts.

Every two weeks the Housing Service advertises housing association properties that are empty through HomeOptions. Applicants on the Housing Register can express an interest in up to three properties that are suitable for their household's size. The Housing Service then forward the name of applicant with the highest number of points, for each property advertised, to the housing association that owns the property. The housing association will then contact the household directly.

If you have a low number of points and therefore considered to have a low housing need on our Housing Register, you are likely to be on the Housing Register for a long time with no prospect of receiving an offer of a property. If you wish to move you will need to consider other options such as renting in the private sector.

Contact the Housing Options Team

The Housing Options Team is based at the Council offices in Pegs Lane, Hertford and offices are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday but unless it is an emergency you should telephone first to make an appointment to ensure someone is available to see you. We also have a limited service on some days at the council's offices in Bishop's Stortford.

The telephone number for both offices is 01279 655261 and then ask to speak to a member of the Housing Options Team. If you have a general enquiry, please fill in our Housing Enquiry form and we will get back to you

 

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