We are currently facing extremely high demand for council housing registration. Due to this, time required to process has extended and can now take up to 12 weeks on receipt of your application form and supporting information.

The council have a weekly advertisement of properties available to rent. This system is more commonly known as 'choice based lettings' (CBL)

To apply to rent a council property you will first need to join the housing register.

Join the housing register

Once you are registered and if you meet the right criteria you can 'bid' for a property.

There are more people looking for council homes in Sandwell than there are properties available. As a result, you may experience a long wait before we are able to find you a home. We recommend you also consider other housing options, for example housing associations or private renting.

To join the housing register you must be aged 18 or over, and be legally living in the UK. You will also need to meet certain criteria. Before you join the register, it is essential to check you are eligible.

Once we have processed your application you will receive an email or letter with your membership number. If we are unable to register your application we will write to you to tell you why.

You can also read the full housing allocations policy here.

Already on the housing register? How to bid for a property

If you have joined our housing register you can apply for a property.

Once you are on the register you can 'bid' for up to three properties you are interested in each week. Find out more about bidding from our frequently asked questions page.

Find and bid for properties

You can also see the properties we have available in our Property Newsletter.

When is the best time to bid?

The latest list of available properties goes live every Wednesday and is available until midnight on the following Monday.

There is no need to rush to the website first thing on a Wednesday - we don't give preference to people who bid first.

You can log on any time during the week up until midnight on Monday to check which properties are available and bid on them if you are interested. Properties are not given on a first come, first served basis.

Please note - you can't bid on a Tuesday.

If you are bidding for a property, please be aware that this website is often very busy when properties become available on a Wednesday.

To make changes to your application

If your circumstances have changed since you completed your original application form, you will need to let us know.

Make changes to your application