Social housing system in London is “opaque, confusing and unfair”, say assembly members

In a report, “Barriers at every turn: Social housing allocation in London”, the committee said that the social housing system is too complex and inconsistent, preventing many people from accessing it.

More than 341,000 households are on waiting lists and only a small proportion are housed each year. The number of households on council housing waiting lists in London is higher than any other region of England.

In some boroughs, waiting times for larger homes can reach up to 33 years, leaving families stuck in unsuitable or overcrowded conditions for decades, the report said.

The committee acknowledged that a shortage of homes is the core issue, but also highlighted failures in the allocation system.

On access and fairness, the report said: “The application process is often complex and difficult to navigate, with additional barriers for some groups, particularly Deaf and Disabled Londoners.

“Second, commonly used disqualification policies can indirectly discriminate against already marginalised groups. For example, victims or survivors of domestic abuse are disproportionately disadvantaged by financial eligibility criterion.”

The committee called on the Mayor of London to explore with boroughs options for a training programme for housing officers aimed at improving services for applicants, particularly for those groups that face additional barriers.

The report also criticised poor coordination between councils and housing associations that “leaves some applicants promised homes that never materialise”.

It said: “Although housing associations are required to support councils in meeting their homelessness duties, it is not uncommon for them to reject council nominations. Where councils and housing associations take different approaches to allocation, applicants often experience poorer service. We heard distressing accounts of applicants being told by councils that they would be offered a home, only for the housing association to reject the nomination at a later stage.”

The committee urged the GLA and London Councils to explore these challenges and find ways to improve practice across London.

The report meanwhile described data on social housing allocation as “poor and inconsistent across London”.

Having submitted Freedom of Information requests, the committee found that information supplied on waiting times and disqualification policies was “often incomplete, and where data was provided, it was difficult to meaningfully compare across boroughs”.

The lack of detailed, granular data – particularly data on waiting times broken down by demographics – limited the committee’s ability to understand which groups are most disadvantaged by current allocation practices, it said.

“This raises concerns about the robustness of equality impact assessments carried out by local authorities.”

The committee recommended that the Mayor works with boroughs to develop a standardised framework for collecting data on allocations.

The report makes 11 recommendations in total to improve the system, including advising that the MHCLG should review the current provision of Housing Benefit and how this is affecting affordability assessments for social housing applicants.

Chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee, Zoë Garbett AM, said: “Too many Londoners are trapped in a system that is confusing, inconsistent, and at times deeply unfair. While the shortage of social housing is the biggest challenge, the system itself often makes Londoners’ experience of the housing crisis even worse and homelessness even harder to solve.  

“We heard from Londoners facing years of uncertainty, poor communication, and decisions that simply don’t make sense. When people cannot access housing because the process is too complex or the rules are too harsh, the system is not working as it should and fails those who need it most.  While we urgently need more social housing, there is also clear scope to make the system we have more transparent, consistent, and humane.”

Harry Rodd