Last updated: 31 May 2024
Next review: 31 May 2025
Core strategies
One of the Councils' key priorities is to work to ensure that everyone has a decent roof over their heads. Our Housing Strategy and Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy alongside our delivery plans set out how we will work to achieve that goal.
- Housing Strategy - Good homes as the foundation for a happy and healthy life (PDF)
- Housing Strategy Delivery Plan (PDF)
- Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy (PDF)
- Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy Delivery Plan (PDF)
Our Housing Compact sets out how we will work in partnership with housing associations.
- Housing Compact 2024-29 (PDF)
Tackling the housing crisis head on
Planning
The Waltham Forest Local Plan provides the planning policy framework for considering planning applications.
Tenancy strategy and policy
All Registered Housing Providers (RPs), including local authorities, must produce a tenancy policy that explains the types and lengths of tenancies they grant.
In addition to this, we publish a tenancy strategy that describes the overall objectives that all RPs with housing in the borough should consider in their own tenancy policies.
Tenancy agreement
Affordable rents
We have produced guidance setting out the maximum levels of rent that should be charged on Affordable Rented homes.
The guidance is currently under review and is also subject to national (government) policy on affordable housing. If you are an affordable housing developer, please contact our Strategic Housing Team at an early stage to agree rent levels.
- Affordable Rent Guidance (PDF)
Accommodation allocation policies for homeless households
These policies set out how we allocate accommodation for homeless households.
- Accommodation Acquisitions Policy (PDF)
- Temporary Accommodation Policy (PDF)
- Temporary Accommodation Explained (PDF)
- Private Rented Sector Offer Policy (PDF)
Social housing allocations
This policy explains how social housing is allocated in Waltham Forest and how to understand the priority that your housing application is given.
Housing for young people
This report sets out the findings of research into young people’s views about their housing needs and prospects. This research was commissioned by Waltham Forest Council from Kaizen Partnership, Social Life and the Waltham Forest Young Advisors and included both face-to-face interviews with young people as well as desk research and interviews with housing campaigners, developers and other stakeholders.
As part of the research and its finding, we are committed to developing a new multi-pronged campaign of advice and information for young people of different ages and at different life stages, aimed at improving young people’s knowledge about housing options and their confidence in dealing with the complexity of the housing market.
- Housing for young people (PDF)