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In a city where the housing crisis is felt acutely by hundreds of thousands of residents, every new affordable home matters. This month, 66 brand-new social rent homes have opened in London through a pioneering partnership between the City of London Corporation and Islington Council — a development that will house up to 196 residents in high-quality, sustainable accommodation.
If you or someone you know is on the social housing waiting list, here is everything you need to know about this development — what it is, who qualifies, and how the social housing system in London works.
About the New Development
The 66 new homes are the result of a formal partnership between the City of London Corporation — the ancient governing body of the City of London — and Islington Council, one of London’s inner boroughs with one of the longest social housing waiting lists in the country. The development delivers homes at social rent levels — meaning rents set significantly below market rates, calculated as a proportion of local average incomes — for households who need them most.
The City of London Corporation described the homes as “high-specification” — a term that carries real weight in the context of social housing, where quality has historically varied enormously. The development will accommodate up to 196 residents across the 66 units, suggesting a mix of family-sized homes and smaller properties for individuals and couples.
Why This Partnership Matters
Partnerships between different local authorities and governing bodies to deliver housing are relatively rare — and this one is particularly notable given the parties involved. The City of London Corporation, which governs the famous “Square Mile” at London’s financial heart, is not a typical housing authority. Its permanent residential population is tiny compared to other London boroughs — but it holds significant land and financial resources.
By partnering with Islington — a borough with enormous housing need and a large existing social housing estate — the Corporation is finding a creative way to use its resources to address one of London’s most pressing social challenges. This kind of cross-boundary thinking is exactly what housing advocates have long called for.
How Social Housing Works in London
For those unfamiliar with the social housing system, here is a clear overview. Social housing in London is allocated through local authority waiting lists, prioritised according to housing need. The assessment criteria vary between boroughs but generally give priority to:
- People in overcrowded accommodation
- People living in unsafe or unsuitable housing conditions
- People with medical or disability needs that require specific housing
- Households with children, particularly those in temporary accommodation
- People who have been on the waiting list the longest
In London, the waiting lists for social housing are extremely long — in some boroughs, families wait over a decade for a suitable home. The average wait for a two-bedroom property in Islington, for example, has historically been among the longest in the country.
Who Is Eligible to Apply?
Eligibility for social housing depends primarily on where you are registered. To apply for social housing in London, you must:
- Be a UK citizen or have the right to remain in the UK
- Not own or have a share in a property elsewhere
- Have a local connection to the borough you are applying to (having lived, worked, or having close family in the area)
- Meet the borough’s income and assets thresholds (most social housing is reserved for those on low incomes)
Each borough manages its own register. For properties in this partnership scheme, the relevant route would be through Islington Council’s housing register. Details of how to apply are available on the Islington Council website.
The Wider London Housing Picture
66 new social homes is, of course, a drop in the ocean against London’s enormous housing need. The capital faces a shortage of hundreds of thousands of homes — a crisis driven by decades of insufficient housebuilding, the sale of council homes under Right to Buy without replacement, the rapid rise in land and construction costs, and population growth that has consistently outpaced housing supply.
The new Mayor and the current Government have both committed to ambitious housebuilding targets for London, but delivering the scale of social housing the city needs requires not just political will but sustained investment over many years. Schemes like this partnership between the City of London Corporation and Islington are important precisely because they demonstrate what creative collaboration can achieve — and because every family housed in a secure, affordable home is a life genuinely changed for the better.
What You Can Do
If you or someone you know is in housing need in London, the most important first step is to register on your local borough’s housing waiting list as soon as possible. Even if the wait is long, being registered early is essential — and housing officers can advise on all available options, including shared ownership, Help to Buy, and other affordable homeownership schemes that may be faster routes to a secure home.
For those in urgent need — including those facing homelessness — contact your local council’s housing department immediately. Every London borough has a legal duty to assist homeless households, and help is available.
