Housing provided by social landlords 

 

Social landlords, which include local authorities, housing associations and providers of sheltered accommodation, must not discriminate unlawfully in the way that they provide their services. You have to meet certain eligibility requirements to qualify for social housing provided by these landlords. All residents are entitled to such an assessment, which is generally carried out by their local authority.

There are many reasons why people apply for social housing. For example, they may be living in a violent relationship. To get away from their abuser, they may need to move home. In such cases, many people ask local authorities to assess their entitlement to social housing.

Find out more about public authorities and their legal duties to tackle discrimination and promote equality.

Find out more about how public housing organisations can help you find somewhere to live.

On this page

 

When discrimination is lawful

Housing organisations can make arrangements to meet the needs of specific racial groups, provided that there is objective evidence that the need is real.

Example
A local authority sets up a dedicated sheltered housing scheme for local Chinese elderly people, because research has shown that they would benefit from such housing and are currently not using existing housing schemes, partly because many do not speak English. The local authority is therefore acting to help them overcome racial disadvantage and to improve the social well being of its area.

There are also some exceptions relating to gender.


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