Apply to join the housing register
You can apply to join the housing register online through Kent Homechoice.
The Housing Register
To qualify for the housing register for Thanet you will need to meet the following criteria:
- have lived in Thanet for the last 3 years,
- be over 18 years old (subject to some exceptions),
- your current home is your only home and you do not have access to a suitable home elsewhere,
- you are not already on the housing list, either on your own or with someone else,
- your household’s combined income does not exceed £60,000 per annum
- your household does not have savings and/or assets of over £16,000
To join Thanet’s housing register, you must qualify as having a housing need in accordance with our allocation policy.
Once you’ve submitted your application you will be asked to provide further information, including proof of:
- Proof of ID either a Passport or birth certificate
- Proof of immigration status if EU, EAA national
- Thanet address history for at least 3 years
- 3 months full bank statements, for all named accounts
- Evidence of any medical conditions
- Proof of any Military Service with the dates of service, such as a copy of your Certificate of Service
For households with children, we will also require:
- Proof of pregnancy with your due date
- Child Benefit award for all children named on your application
When your application has been assessed and if you are accepted onto the register, you will be able to bid on properties you’re interested in.
Watch the video for How to apply for properties –
You will have to fulfil at least one of the following housing need criteria:
- A threat of homelessness or currently homeless
- Medical or Welfare – a member of the household is unable to access the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen or living room in the property.
- Unsatisfactory Housing – there are one or more hazards in the home that affect the health of those living there. For example inadequate heating, trip and fall hazards, fire hazards, inadequate facilities, mould spores caused by dampness and so on.
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You will need to fulfil at least one of the following local connection criteria:
- Lived in Thanet for the last three years before the date of application
- You are temporarily out of the area but have lived in Thanet for three out of the last five years.
If you are eligible you can apply to the housing register. If you are not eligible you can take a look at our webpage: Looking for a new home
PermalinkTo apply to the housing register you will have to fill in our online application form on Kent Homechoice and provide information to support your application and confirm your circumstances.
PermalinkWhen we have processed your application we will place you in one of the bands below:
Band A – Urgent housing needs
This band is for those people who require an urgent need to move due to medical or welfare grounds as their home is not accessible/suitable for their needs.
Band B – Serious housing needs
This band is primarily for social housing tenants who are under-occupying their current home and armed forces personnel.
Band C – Reasonable preference
This band is for households that are sharing facilities, are in threat of homelessness or are currently homeless and people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds.
Band D – General housing needs
This band is for those households that are intentionally homeless or who have deliberately worsened their housing circumstances, and people who owe a tenancy-related debt.
Once you have been placed in a band you can start bidding for properties through the Kent Homechoice website. Priority is given to those in most need of housing. For more information on how we allocate the properties see our Allocations Policy.
Properties can be advertised as and when they become available to rent and will be online for at least 5 days. You can bid on a property at any time before the bidding closing date.
Please note, that we will only contact successful applicants regarding potential offers, you can monitor the status of the bid via your Kent homechoice account.
Local Letting Plans may apply to some developments please ensure you read the adverts to verify you are eligible before bidding.
PermalinkThe table below will give you an approximate idea of how long people have waited on the housing register. These figures show the numbers of each property type let in the last year from 1 July 2023 to 05 December 2024.
| Band | Minimum wait | Maximum wait | Average |
| A | 5 months | 7.5 years | 4 years |
| B | 4 months | 8 years | 4 years |
| C | 5 months | 10.5 years | 5.5 years |
| Type/ Size | No. of Lets | Shortest wait | Longest wait | Average wait |
| Studio general needs | 9 | 1.5 year | 3 years | 2 years |
| 1 -bed | 141 | 1 year | 10 years | 5.5 years |
| 2 -bed | 194 | 5 months | 9.5 years | 5 years |
| 3 -bed | 53 | 1 year | 8 years | 4.5 years |
| 4 -bed | 2 | 4.5 years | 8 years | 6 years |
| 5 -bed | 0 | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years |
In order to be considered for a property you will need to have an Active application, check Kent Homechoice each day and place bids on suitable properties in the Thanet area. Once the property has ended the shortlist will be processed and you can monitor Kent Homechoice for updates.
There is limited availability of purpose-built and adapted properties in Thanet, therefore level access accommodation may not be allocated to the highest bidder and all medical needs will be taken into consideration. The council also only has a very limited amount of 4 and 5 bedroom accommodation and only a few become available for letting every year, if you require a larger property we recommend you continue to explore all of your housing options which could include an adaption of your current property or a move within the private sector.
The Council is working incredibly hard to increase the number of homes it has available. It has an accelerated delivery programme that sees it acquiring or building at least 400 homes by 2027. It is also working hard with registered providers (formerly known as housing associations) to ensure that any homes for affordable rent that they have available are being allocated to those people in the most need.
PermalinkYou will need to tell us of any changes in your circumstances via your online Kent Homechoice account.
PermalinkSupporting letters from a medical professional
Our allocation policy has two band options for medical needs, Band A or Band C. High priority may be awarded when a household is working with multiple agencies such as an occupational therapist. If you have a medical condition or physical disability, which is being made worse by your current accommodation you may be required to submit evidence from the relevant professional.
Can I apply for an extra bedroom for my neurodiverse child?
We understand the complexities Neurodiversity can cause a family makeup and appreciate the desire for an extra bedroom to alleviate the behaviour issues caused by sharing with a sibling. However Thanet District Council is unable to meet the high demand of requests for extra bedrooms for all Thanet families in this situation, cases will be assessed individually but may not result in an extra bedroom being awarded.
The final decision will be made by Thanet District Council.
Can I apply for an extra bedroom for medical equipment?
Where households request an additional bedroom due to medical or health needs we will only consider additional rooms for extensive medical equipment that can not normally be accommodated within the bedroom environment, or for the applicant or partner to occupy additional rooms where there is a physical disability that prevent a couple from sharing a bedroom. Where households make this request and are over 55 they will be considered for sheltered and older person accommodation only. This could include enhanced extra care accommodation.
The final decision will be made by Thanet District Council.
Can I apply for an extra bedroom for a carer?
We will only consider increasing the room requirement for a carer in line with housing benefits/Universal credit for a carer if:
- The carer is not already a household member (in which case they may be able to share with other members of the household, a partner perhaps, so being a carer doesn’t entitle them to an extra room), or
- A non resident carer is required for either the claimant or the partner and the claimant or partner receives disability living allowance/personal independence payment at either the middle or highest rate or attendance allowance and supporting evidence is provided by a medical professional to confirm this requirement.
The final decision will be made by Thanet District Council.
My relationship has broken down, can I remove my partner?
If you are the primary applicant on the application you can add or remove household members via your online Kent Homechoice account.
All changes will result in your application being reassessed in line with the allocation policy.
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View the Council’s Housing Allocation Policy