Find a new council or housing association property

You can search and bid for a council home of your choice using Greenwich Homes, the Royal Borough of Greenwich's choice-based lettings (CBL) scheme. To bid for properties you will first need to be on the housing register.

When you have registered you will be sent a registration number, and you can then start searching for a suitable property.

Please note: Our CBL service, where council properties are advertised, will be closing early this week due to essential IT work. You will still be able to bid for a property from 12pm on Wednesday 8 June to 4pm on Friday 10 June. The service will run as normal (Wednesday 12pm to Sunday 12am) from next week onwards.

Find out how to join the housing register

Frequently asked questions

Applying for a property if you are already on the housing register

Search for properties online now

To apply, you will need:

  • your applicant number - this is on the letter we sent you when you registered; if you have lost your number, please call the Access and Allocations Service
  • your band (also on the registration letter) - properties are labelled according to the kind of customer they are suitable for; these labels are called housing bands

We advertise empty council and housing association homes weekly online and in Greenwich Info. There are different types of properties with different tenancy terms, so please check carefully and make sure you can afford the home you choose. You can apply for as many properties as you like, as long as you meet the conditions in the advertisement. 

All households can bid for all types of property subject to meeting the bedroom size and any medical requirements.

Apply by text

You can bid for advertised properties by text using the number 07786 207 913.

Please use the following format: Choice Based Letting (CBL), the property reference number, and your applicant number.

The property reference will be on the advert and your applicant number is on the letter we sent to you when you registered for housing. Your text bid will look like this example: CBL 179104 12191

You will need to send a separate text for each property you wish to bid for and the text is charged at your mobile providers' standard rate. You will receive a text response to confirm your bid within 5 minutes.

Apply by telephone

To apply for a property by telephone, call the Greenwich Homes bidding line and use the push-button system. You will need to make a new call for each property you wish to apply for.

The Greenwich Homes bidding line is also available in a number of community languages.

Important notice

Please ensure that you only bid for properties that you are genuinely interested in. If your bid is successful and you then fail to attend the arranged viewing, your priority could be removed or your application suspended.

Affordable housing

Please note that other types of properties are also advertised in Greenwich Homes. These include affordable housing, which has rent levels set at up to 80% of full market rents. The rent on affordable housing properties are higher than on standard council homes.

There are also fixed-term tenancies available. These have tenancy periods less than the lifetime tenancies traditionally offered by housing associations. The tenancy details will be explained to you if you are invited to view the property.

You can bid for properties advertised as affordable housing in exactly the same way as for other advertised properties.

If you are successful the housing association may want to check you have enough income to pay the higher rent, whether you are working or on benefits. If you are currently a housing association tenant the rent you pay on your present home will not be affected by this change.

Walpole Place properties

If you are interested in an advertised property in Walpole Place, you will get the chance to be involved in the running of the estate. Walpole Place is managed by an estate management board, through which tenants are involved in decision-making on estate issues. Prospective tenants must be interested and prepared to be involved in the scheme.

At the close of the bidding process, up to three applicants will be nominated for the Walpole Place property in question. Nominations will be made in line with the Royal Borough of Greenwich's usual allocation policy.

An appointment will be made for the candidates to meet the board for a question and answer session and also to look around the property.

Please note that any offer resulting from a nomination which is refused by the applicant could affect their status on the housing list.

How Greenwich Homes works

New property adverts are published online at 2pm every Wednesday. They expire at midnight on the following Sunday. This means that you have four days to apply. Applications will not be looked at until after the closing date each week.

Each advert shows what kind of customer the property is suitable for. You can then bid for the property of your choice. You can apply for as many properties as you like - it is important to remember you will only be considered:

  • if your household fits the property, and
  • if you meet any conditions shown in the advert.

How will I hear more about my bid?

After the closing date for the advert, all applications will be looked at. The Royal Borough of Greenwich will decide who is the most suitable applicant. This is based on them meeting the criteria for the property and the length of time they have been on the housing register.

We will not contact you if your application is unsuccessful.

View results of housing adverts

Viewings for multiple applicants

Under the Allocations Policy:

  • up to three applicants will be invited to view a property
  • an applicant can only be invited to view one property, irrespective of whether they have bid successfully for more than one property.

If an applicant is more than 15 minutes late for the viewing appointment they will not be considered for the property.

Further information

Please note: If an applicant does not bring the required proofs of identity and address to the viewing and subsequent sign-up interview, the offer can be withdrawn.  

If you have any questions about Greenwich Homes and the different types of properties please contact the Access and Allocations Service at housing-allocations@royalgreenwich.gov.uk