East Suffolk Council
Register for Social Housing
Gateway to Homechoice is the scheme for letting social housing across eight council areas in parts of Suffolk and Essex.
We have joined Babergh, Braintree, Colchester, Ipswich, Maldon and Mid Suffolk to give residents the opportunity to bid for council and housing association homes across the partner councils.
Council and housing association homes available to let in all the council areas are advertised on the Gateway to Homechoice website. Once registered with Gateway to Homechoice applicants can search for available properties they are eligible to bid for.
Anyone, over the age of 16, can apply to join the Gateway to Homechoice register, however to be accepted onto the register you must meet the eligibility criteria.
Registering with Gateway to Homechoice
Your application will be assessed according to our allocation policy and you will be placed into one of five bands (Bands A - E), depending on your level of housing need. We may ask you for some further information in order to verify your housing circumstances.
We will then write to you and tell you:
- your housing application number and details of how to log in to use the Gateway to Homechoice website
- the band your application has been placed in and the effective date of your application
- the number of bedrooms you are entitled to
You will then be able to search the Gateway to Homechoice website for available properties and bid for the properties you are eligible to bid for.
Availability of social housing
Please be aware that demand for housing has significantly increased and far outweighs the supply of social housing. It can take a significant amount of time for applicants to be housed through Gateway to Homechoice. More information about average waiting times can be found here on the Gateway to Homechoice property search.
Detailed demand information and the outcomes of the Gateway to Homechoice scheme can be found here on the Homechoice Annual Report 2024-25 and the Housing Register dashboard.
Existing Social Housing Tenants
Existing social housing tenants may also be able to apply for a mutual exchange via the following sites:
We recommend that you contact your Housing Officer or Landlord to discuss if you would be eligible.