Who can apply to the Richmond Housing Register?

Everyone one who meets the qualification criteria listed below can apply for housing through the Richmond Housing Register.

We will not accept you on the Richmond Housing Register if:

  • You are under the age of 16
  • You are under immigration control
  • You are from abroad and fail the habitual residence test (conditions you must meet in order to be regarded as having good cause to live in the UK)
  • You are from abroad and for various reasons you are not entitled to housing assistance

We will put you on the Richmond Housing Register, but we will not consider you for any accommodation (unless there are exceptional circumstances) if:

  • You own a property
  • You have a leasehold interest in a property
  • You have a taxable income of over £28,500 or your savings are over £55,000, or both

We may consider you later on if your circumstances change.

If you live outside the London Borough of Richmond, you will have a low priority for re-housing unless:

  • You work on a permanent basis in the borough
  • There are exceptional circumstances which require you to live in the borough
  • We have accepted you from another borough
  • The Housing Options Team has accepted a duty to re-house you
  • You are living in accommodation and this is not of your own choice because you are serving in the armed forces or are in prison, and before this, you had been living in the borough

We will not consider you for any accommodation if we think that you, or someone who lives with you, have behaved unacceptably.

This behaviour would have to be so serious that it would make you unsuitable to be a tenant of a housing association. We may make this decision, for example, if:

  • You have lost your home because of high rent arrears
  • You have lost your home because of your behaviour toward your neighbours
  • You were granted a council or housing association tenancy because you provided false information

Before we make this decision, we would have to look at your case very carefully. We would put our decision in writing to you and if you disagreed, you could appeal to the Joint Head of Housing. You can let us know at a later date if you think your behaviour should not be held against you any more. We will then re-assess your application.

Priority is given to those who:

  • Can demonstrate a local connection to the London Borough of Richmond
  • Are homeless or threatened with homelessness
  • Need to move because ill health or disability
  • Need to move on welfare grounds, for example, to be nearer to family to receive support
  • Are living in overcrowded or unsatisfactory housing conditions.

For further details on eligibility, please download the Applying for housing booklet(pdf, 414KB).