Social housing is housing owned by a Registered Housing Provider (or in other words a Housing Association) or the council, which has a lower rent set by a government calculation.
Salford’s Housing Register is called Salford Home Search.
The law decides who is allowed social housing and only households with a housing need (who do not already have suitable housing) will be allowed to register.
Registered Housing Providers advertise their available properties on the register, so that applicants can place a bid (or express interest) on the property and be short listed for it.
Who is allowed to register on Salford Home Search?
To register on Salford Home Search you need to be:
- 16 years of age and over, but the application will be suspended until the person becomes 18
- Have a right to live in the United Kingdom and not be under immigration control
- Have a local connection, which can include:
- Residence: the applicant must have continuously lived in Salford in settled accommodation for at least the previous 5-year period on the date the application is decided upon, or
- Employment: the applicant must have a contract of permanent employment to work within Salford. It is not sufficient that the employers’ head office is located within the district of the Council or that the applicant is seeking work in Salford. The applicant must have been in continuous employment for at least 6 months prior to the application date. The employment can be full-time, part-time, zero-hour contract or self-employed.
However, this criteria is to support employment opportunities (promoting their sustainability) by enabling improved access to employment through rehousing. This would not therefore, include working from home, but may include those (who meet the above criteria) who hybrid work and who must attend a place of work within the boundary of Salford on regular occasions throughout the working week, or
- Previous asylum seekers: the applicant will have a local connection to Salford if their application for asylum was determined whilst living in accommodation in Salford provided under section 95 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 and they have been granted the right to remain
- Households accommodated in Salford under a humanitarian protection scheme (i.e. Ukrainians, Afghans and Chagossians) in line with legal requirements
- Residents of Salford City Council commissioned homelessness supported housing schemes (i.e. Abbott Lodge, SASH, RSI and RSAP schemes including rough sleepers).
There are specific applicants listed as exempt from the local connection test:
- All current care leavers including:
- Eligible children: currently looked after, aged 16 or 17, and looked after for a total 13 weeks
- Relevant children: No longer looked after, who are aged 16 or 17
- Former eligible children: aged 18-24 and were either a former relevant or eligible child.
- Applicants with a housing need as a result of fleeing domestic abuse
- All former members of the Armed Forces (the army, marines, naval, and air forces) will be exempt from any local connection tests in relation to access to social housing. It should be noted that this is regardless of when the applicant last served in the armed forces.
Other special circumstances: there may be circumstances (raised by an applicant) that do not meet any of the above criteria but on consideration the applicant is deemed to have a local connection. These cases will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and the decision will be made by the Service Manager of the council’s Housing Options Service. Such circumstances might include, but are not limited to:
- Applicants who are not currently resident in Salford but who need to reside in the district of the Council in order to give or receive essential care and support, as a result of a serious disability/health condition, to/from a family member or named carer, or
- An applicant who is or was living in accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence and whose former spouse or civil partner was a service person whose death was attributable in whole or in part to their service.
- Divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of service personnel who need to move out of accommodation provided by the ministry of defence
How does it work?
You fill in an online application form on Salford Home Search.
You need to provide the following information which is required before your application is accepted:
- Two forms of identification one of which should include a photograph (for example, a passport or driving licence. If this is not available, speak with a member of staff), and
- Proof of residence at current address, and
- Identification and proof of address for all household members included on the application, and
- A reference from current or previous landlord or mortgage company, and
- Proof of status in this country ie UK national or leave to remain etc, and
- Confirmation of employment where applicable, and
- Child benefit award letter for person who is registering an application
If you meet the conditions described above, and you are assessed as being in housing need, your application will be placed in one of three categories:
- General Housing Needs
- Accessible Accommodation – you will need to complete the medical section on Salford Home Search to be assessed for Accessible or Adapted housing and placed in this category
- Full Duty Statutory Homeless – only people who have been given a main statutory duty under homelessness law can be placed in this category
Once your application has been accepted, you will be assessed for priority points, if your application has been placed in the General Needs or Accessible Accommodation category. You may get priority points if you are:
- In an insecure tenancy
- Need to move due to non-physical health needs
- Need to move to give or receive essential care and support
- Under occupying in your current home
- Overcrowded in your current home
- You are a child leaving care where Salford is the corporate parent
- Threatened with homeless and have a Prevention Duty as part of your homeless application
- Homeless and have a Relief Duty as part of your homeless application
- Ready to move on from supported housing – where this is delivered by trusted providers for example commissioned accommodation or where providers have achieved the Charter of Rights and Quality Standards
- An approved Foster Carer and need to move to facilitate the foster caring role
- A serving or previous member of the armed forces
- A bereaved, divorced or separated spouse/civil partner of service personnel who needs to move out of accommodation provided by the ministry of defence
- Management points awarded in exceptional circumstances
Priority points are not awarded for main duty statutory homeless category applications.
You should only place a bid (or expression of interest) on a property that is advertised in your category, that meets the needs of your household.
Bidders for each property will be prioritised in the following way:
General needs category:
- General needs category bidders will be given priority for properties advertised in this category
- Those applicants who need the number of bedrooms advertised will then be prioritised
- Those with the highest number of points will then be prioritised
- Those who have been registered the longest will then be prioritised
Accessible accommodation category:
- Only applicants who have been assessed as needing wheelchair adapted/accessible housing will be placed into this category, and you can only bid on the type of property that meets your needs:
- SN1 – for those permanent wheelchair users, who use a wheelchair both indoors and outside
- SN2 – for those with limited mobility, unable to safely climb any steps/stairs and who may need a level access shower: including but not restricted to those who do use a wheelchair or mobility scooter outdoors
- SN3. For those with mild mobility limitations, who do not use a wheelchair either indoors or outdoors, but who walk with difficulty and can manage some steps to access the property and/or internal stairs infrequently. This includes those who may benefit from access to a downstairs toilet or a wet room/level access shower
- Those applicants who need the number of bedrooms advertised will then be prioritised
- Main duty statutory homeless cases who have been assessed as needing the type of accessible/wheelchair adapted property advertised will then be prioritised – these cases will be prioritised based on their main duty statutory homelessness decision date
- If no main duty homelessness cases have priority, then all other cases will be prioritised based on the number of points their application has
- These cases will then be prioritised by their registration date
Full duty statutory homelessness category:
- Applicants who are allocated this category will be prioritised for properties advertised in this category
- Those applicants who need the number of bedrooms advertised will then be prioritised
- These cases are then prioritised based on their full duty homelessness decision date
(points are not allocated in this category)
Mutual exchange
If you are renting from a housing association and wish to move you may also be considered for a mutual exchange, where two tenants swap their homes with each other. For more information, please contact your landlord directly.
Important contacts
Salford Home Search can be contacted by phoning them on 0161 793 3282, or emailing them at: salfordhomesearch@salford.gov.uk.
This page was last updated on 27 November 2025