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Applying for a council house
East Lothian Council provides social housing which is usually more affordable and secure than renting from private landlord. These pages tell you what you need to do to apply for council housing in East Lothian.
How the council allocates its housing
How we prioritise applications
Our leaflet, 'Applying for Council Housing' gives you an overview of our allocations system, outlining the points we will allocate depending on your circumstances.
Or read our full Allocations Policy
Our offers
We make two reasonable offers of housing. If refused, we will investigate and may ask the applicant to update their application.
After refusing two reasonable offers, applications will be suspended for twelve months and no offers will be made. Offers to Housing Association properties are included.
Homeless applicants receive one reasonable offer. If refused, homelessness priority points will be removed. Further offers will be based on remaining housing need.
Applicants can appeal offers they consider not reasonable, e.g., not in their area of choice, of the right size or meeting health needs. However, if refusal is due to the applicant not informing us of a change in circumstances, the offer will be considered reasonable and count. Please ensure you tell a local housing office of any changes in circumstances.
You can appeal a housing decision