Rehousing

There are lots of reasons why you may want to move home, and we'll always do our best to help you in these situations. However, the reality is that in London and parts of the South East, there are more people wanting accommodation than there are decent homes available.

Here, you'll see a few ways that you may be able to move home.

Check your eligibility to apply for our rehousing service

You will be eligible for our rehousing service if your circumstances meet one or more of the following criteria:

You or an existing household member is at immediate risk by remaining in your home due to domestic abuse, gang-related violence, high-level antisocial behaviour or hate crime where there are no other solutions to reduce the risk.

Either you or an original household member has a significant medical need or disability which means there is an immediate risk to life by remaining in your home or if you cannot access parts of your home due to a medical condition that cannot/will not be improved or your home cannot be adapted.

Either you or an original household member has a severe medical condition or disability that requires you to have additional room for large-scale medical equipment.

You wish to downsize to a smaller property in an area where we can rehouse you. Whilst we will make every effort to offer a like-for-like property, for example, a flat or house in a borough of choice, this cannot be guaranteed.

Please note, that we will not be able to consider you for rehousing if any of the below apply:

• you have a starter tenancy
• you have been served a valid Notice of Seeking Possession (NOSP), Section 21 or other legal notice for breach of tenancy
• you have a possession order against you
• you have an injunction order against you, or other legal action has been taken against you or a member of your household
• you have more than £1,000 arrears on your rent account
• you did not comply with the terms under which a direct offer was awarded (if applicable)

Overcrowding

Unfortunately, our limited housing stock means we are unable to consider applications that relate to overcrowding.

If you are experiencing overcrowding, we encourage you to explore other housing options. These include mutual exchange, the private rented sector, seeking advice from your local authority, or considering shared ownership.

If you want to move to another L&Q property, we will do what we can to help.

It is important to understand that because there is such a shortage of homes across the country, it can take years to be offered a transfer, particularly if you want a larger property.

Currently, the wait is over 36 months for those who are already registered for the service.

If you’re concerned about your safety while you remain in your home, please get in touch with our customer service centre.

Medical considerations

If you feel you have a medical need to move, we will ask you to complete a medical application form and provide supporting medical evidence.

We send these to an independent medical advisor, who will assess whether you meet our criteria.

Once a decision has been made, we’ll write to you to let you know the outcome.

Here are a couple of scenarios we may consider to be an immediate and urgent need to move:

Alternative housing options

You should find out about all your housing options for the best chance of moving.

It will also help to be flexible about the type of property and area you want to move into.

As well as a transfer, you may want to consider these alternatives:

• Mutual exchange
• Shared ownership
• Private rented sector
• L&Q Living
• Applying to your local council's housing register

Other things to consider

Local arrangements mean we’re unable to directly offer any of our properties in the London Boroughs of Lewisham and Tower Hamlets.

If you would like to live in Lewisham or Tower Hamlets, you’ll need to register with the following services:

• Lewisham FindYourHome
• Tower Hamlets housing register