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.

Contents

Why might I be suspended from the housing list?

Suspension

Suspension means that we have accepted your application for housing and placed it on the housing list, but will not offer you a house. You can read why that might happen in our Suspensions Reasons document

How will you know if we have suspended you from the housing list?

We will write to you and tell you why we have suspended your application for housing. We will also tell you when we will review the suspension and, where appropriate, what information you need to provide to us before we can make your application active.

Can I appeal against suspension?

Information about appealing the suspension is available in Appealing against a housing decision.  Applicants who have been made offers of housing under Homelessness Legislation also have the right to appeal a decision to suspend their housing application after one reasonable offer has been refused. Please contact a Homelessness Response Officer for details.

What should you do if you think the reason for your suspension is no longer valid?

You must tell your local area housing office. If you have been asked to provide evidence, the sooner you do this, the sooner the suspension may be lifted.

Will we review your suspension?

We review all suspensions every year. We will review your suspension at any time if you can provide us with evidence (with the exception of a suspension for refusal of two reasonable offers of housing). We will write to you and tell you the outcome.