Find a place you can afford

Brent is one of the worst affected places in the UK by the housing crisis.

There has been a 41% decline in private rental listings since 2017 combined with a 50% decline in 4 bed properties. At the same time, there has been a rapid rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness.

If you are placed in temporary accommodation in Brent, this will not secure you a council home in the borough. 

Even though Brent has been leading the way in building new homes, with the second highest number of new builds completed out of all the London boroughs over the past 10 years, our supply cannot cope with this surge in demand. 

The average wait time for a 2-bed home is more than a decade. For 4-bed properties, the wait is over 20 years. There are currently 33,000 households on our social housing waiting list. That’s nearly 1 in 10 of all Brent residents.  Some families have been on the list since the last century. 

The solution to homelessness is to find a place you can afford in the private rented sector. It is likely that most affordable places are outside of Brent.

How to find a place you can afford

• Talk to friends and family about any opportunities/vacancies 
• Sign up with estate agents
• Search online for rental homes. Good websites to check are:
  • On the Market
  • Rightmove
  • Zoopla
  • Homefinder UK

You can also check:

• Local lettings agencies
• Private landlords
• Local newspapers
• Shop windows, community notice boards, supermarket boards.

House or flat shares

If you are searching for accommodation as a single person, a more affordable option is to search for rooms to rent.

Rooms in house shares can be found on websites such as:

• Spareroom
• Houseshare
• Roomster

If you can't find a place you can afford in Brent

Be more flexible in your choice of area – widen your search to outside of the borough, and outside of London.

When you find a place you can afford

Email your housing officer when you have found a place you can afford.

We will then: 

• Check that the property is affordable for you long-term
• Financially help you to secure the rental home
• Talk with the landlord on your behalf
• Ensure that the property is safe and suitable for your needs.