NSW Housing Register

The NSW Housing Register is a single list of approved applicants waiting for social housing. The NSW Housing Register lists applicants in order according to their required housing location, their approval category and approval date.

When a social housing provider approves an applicant for social housing, the provider will list them on the NSW Housing Register. DCJ Housing and community housing organisations will then use the register to offer housing when a suitable property becomes available.

When will I receive an offer of a property?

When a property becomes vacant, the social housing provider who manages the property will use the NSW Housing Register to select the next applicant on the register whose housing need matches the available property. After an eligibility review, this applicant may then receive an offer of housing.

Most applicants will be eligible to receive two offers, however, they will only ever receive one offer at a time. This means that the applicant will not be offered a property by one provider (for example, DCJ), at the same time as being made an offer by a different provider (for example, SGCH).

After a social housing provider makes an offer, they will expect the applicant to view the property and, within a reasonable timeframe of receiving details of the offer, tell the provider if they accept the offer of housing.

How long will I have to wait?

The time that an applicant will wait on the NSW Housing Register depends on:

• the number of vacancies
• the supply of social housing in the area, including the number of social housing providers
• the number of people waiting for the same type of housing in the same area who have been waiting longer
• willingness to accept offers of both public and community housing
• the number of people who have demonstrated a high need to be housed
• the number of applicants leaving the NSW Housing Register.

See also waiting times for social housing.

Can I change my allocation zone?

Yes. Approved applicants are able to change their allocation zone by completing an online change of circumstances form.

An applicant’s position on the waiting list for their new allocation zone will depend on when they originally applied for social housing and how their housing needs compare to other applicants in the newly chosen allocation zone.