Find A Home

Your Housing Options

Demand for Council Houses

If you feel Council Housing is the only option available to help you with your current housing problems you need to think carefully about the following. You may then want to look at the other options available to you which may help you get accommodation faster.

Increasing demand for Council Housing

The demand for Council Housing has been steadily increasing over recent years and is expected to increase as the recession grows. More and more mortgage repossessions, rising unemployment and the general lack of affordable housing, together mean Councils across the country are set to see a big increase in the number of households applying for Council Housing.

Fewer Council properties available

More and more households living in Council housing in Wigan are choosing to remain in their properties as they benefit from the major improvements to both individual properties and estates. The number of Council properties also continues to reduce due to the Government’s ‘Right to Buy’ scheme that allows Council tenants to buy their houses. As a result the number of available properties has been steadily reducing.

Time to be re-housed increasing

The current number of households on Wigan Councils Housing Register (Waiting List) is currently around 5,000. With only 2000 properties becoming available each year the average waiting time to be re-housed is 2+ years with many applicants waiting significantly longer dependant on their individual circumstances and where they are asking to be rehoused.

Other options

There are a number of other housing options available to most households and a member of our Housing Options team will be happy to discuss these with you.

At risk of losing your current accommodation?

If you are at serious risk of losing your current accommodation please contact;

Housing Options Advice Centre,
Templeton Road,
Platt Bridge,
Wigan,
WN2 5PD
Telephone 01942 487717.

If you still wish to be considered for Wigan Council Housing, in reality with current demand and supply, you will probably be waiting for a considerable amount of time with no guarantee of an offer of accommodation. Please consider all your Housing Options.

There are a number of housing options that you can consider if you are looking to find a home. The below links provide more information on each of these options.

• Affordable Housing - This link gives details of shared ownership properties
• Apply for a Home - Details of, and how to apply for, Council and Housing Association properties
• Homelessness - Information on what to do if you are at risk of losing your home
• Housing Advice - Advice on how to resolve issues you may have in your current home
• Housing Associations - Details of Housing Associations in the Borough 
• Private Rented - Details of local Private Landlords, Local Housing Allowance and Wigan Council's Bond Scheme
• Right to Buy - Information about buying your home
• Sheltered Housing - Information on Sheltered accommodation in the Borough
• The Council's Allocation Policy (.pdf, 810KB)