Social and affordable housing

Social housing waiting times

How long will I have to wait to be re-housed by the Council?

The table below is intended to give you an estimate of how long people have waited on the housing register before being allocated a property.

These figures are taken from a 12 month period from 9 March 2025 – 8 March 2026.

Type / size No. of lets Shortest wait Longest wait Average wait
1 beds* 106 3 weeks 747 weeks  73 weeks
2 beds* 78 3 weeks 303 weeks 88 weeks
3 beds 24 10 weeks 667 weeks 117 weeks
4 beds 4 42 weeks 225 weeks 104 weeks
5 beds 0 n/a n/a n/a

*includes a large number of sheltered properties for 50+ age group

How many people are on the waiting list?

The total number of active households on the Council’s housing waiting list as of 9 March 2026 is 1284.

The below table provides a snapshot of the number of people that are currently in each band with their calculated bedroom need.

Band 1 bed* 2 bed* 3 bed 4 bed 5 bed+ Total per band
A 8 4 2 0 1 15
B 83 20 74 25 4 216
C 206 150 97 32 6 491
D 9 0 0 0 0 9
E** 330 149 62 11 1 553
Total per bed needed 636 333 235 68 12 1284

*includes a large number of applicants (50+ age group) eligible for sheltered accommodation.

**includes people who are adequately housed, with no local connection, or who exceed the financial thresholds.

If you have any queries about your application for rehousing, please contact the team on: 01303 853300 or via email: housing@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk.