Tenants who want to move
Overcrowding
If you're short 2 or more bedrooms in your home, this is severely overcrowded. In these situations, we visit you to assess you and your family. We may award you priority for housing, but this does not mean we will be able to help you with a larger home. You should consider:
- swapping your home with another tenant (Mutual Exchange)
- seeing if it’s possible to move through Housing Moves
- moving to a private rented home of your choice using our rent deposit scheme Fresh Start
If you feel you’re in an overcrowded property, contact your council housing officer directly to start a referral. If you're not sure who your housing officer is, email tenancy.council.housing@enfield.gov.uk.
Your home is too large for you
Enfield's Allocations scheme gives high priority to tenants who would like to move out of a home which is too large for them. To find out more about moving to a smaller property, email downsizingscheme@enfield.gov.uk.
You want to move out of Enfield
You can look at the same options for moving set out for overcrowded tenants, or join the housing register of other councils.
Your property is not right for you
If you or someone in your household is suffering from an illness made worse by your home, contact your council housing officer. They will be able to provide you with information on what the council can do to support you. If you're not sure who your housing officer is, email tenancy.council.housing@enfield.gov.uk.
Tenants of other housing associations and councils
If you already live in Enfield, you can apply to our housing register by contacting your landlord. If you're a housing association tenant or a tenant of another council and want to live in Enfield, we may be able to help if there are exceptional circumstances. These are emergency cases requiring an urgent move (for example, through the National Witness Mobility Scheme) and are approved by our Exceptions and Special Applications housing panel.
Tenants of housing associations and other councils who would like to move to Enfield may want to swap their home with another tenant through HomeSwapper.
Swapping your home (Mutual Exchange)
We offer our tenants the ability to swap their home with another tenant under the Mutual Exchange scheme. You can apply to swap your home if you're a secure tenant and have not breached your tenancy conditions.
You will also need to register with HomeSwapper.
HomeSwapper is the UK’s biggest mutual exchange service for social housing tenants. It helps you to:
- search for possible swaps
- get in touch with other tenants
- arrange viewings
HomeSwapper has over 200,000 homes listed with 1000’s more added each week. It is an easy-to-use service, with a free app to download and lots of help and support.
We exercise a discretionary policy for tenants who are under-occupying their home, with less than 8 weeks’ rent arrears. This includes:
- tenants fleeing domestic violence or other forms of antisocial behaviour, where the antisocial behaviour team or police support the application
- tenants who want to move to a smaller property, where the exchange will remove the under-occupation charge
- where the arrears are solely resulting from welfare reform
We can also offer help with the cost of removals if:
- you're swapping with another Enfield Council tenant
- the property you're moving into is smaller than your current home
If we give you permission to swap, you will be expected to move into the property in its current state. Any routine repairs after you have moved can be reported and dealt with in the normal way.
We will refuse applications with rent arrears if:
- a possession order exists
- more than 8 weeks’ rent is owed
- other tenancy conditions are breached
- the exchange is to a similar size property and does not remove the impact of welfare reform
Our mutual exchange policy (PDF, 183.76 KB) provides more information about the process.
Enfield's New Generation scheme
We have a quota of studio and 1-bedroom council homes available for the children of existing Enfield Council tenants.
You may qualify if you're single, or a childless couple:
- and you can answer 'yes' to all of the following questions:
- Are you between 25 and 60 years of age?
- Are you living with parent(s) in a home owned by Enfield Council?
- Has your parent(s) lived in a home owned by Enfield Council for at least 3 years?
- Have you lived with your parent(s) continuously for at least 3 years?
- Is your parent's home severely overcrowded?
- and 'no' to all of the following questions:
- Can you afford to rent privately or buy a home?
- Do you rent or own a home elsewhere?
- Have you ever owned or rented a home elsewhere?
You can get help with your housing situation. If we confirm that you're eligible, your application will be placed on Enfield's housing register.
Review of your housing register application
You have a right to request a review of some decisions we have made about your housing application, including:
- facts taken into account when assessing the application
- number of points allocated to an application
- whether or not you’re eligible to join the housing register
- which housing group you've been placed in
- less priority for housing because of rent arrears
- refusing an offer of a council or housing association home
- removing an application from the housing register
You should request a review in writing within 15 working days of the date of your decision letter and email to housingreviews@enfield.gov.uk.