NYC Housing Connect is the city’s online portal to search for and apply to affordable housing in the five boroughs. Commonly referred to as the housing lottery, potential tenants are selected at random.  Applying and qualifying for housing does not guarantee a unit.

To apply:

• Register at NYC Housing Connect You will need to provide a valid e-mail address and basic contact information. Only one account per household may be created and the information can be updated at any time.
• Enter your household information, including employment and income information for you and all household members. Click here to read more about income requirements in the NYC Housing Connect Applying for Affordable Housing: Applicant Income Guide
• Enter any other information asked related to your current landlord (if any), reason for moving, and assets (if any)
• Visit Housing Connect’s LEARN section to watch video tutorials about how to use the website and read more about how the process works in the ABOUT section.
• Keep your profile up-to-date, especially regarding income and household composition! Any changes you make to your profile will update any pending applications.
• If you have a voucher, make sure that you have indicated the voucher and type in your Housing Connect profile. You can add your voucher by logging into your account, clicking on your name in the top right-hand corner, and then clicking “My Household.” On this page, select “Edit Household Details” and answer the questions until the website asks if you have a voucher or rental assistance. Select “Yes” and then indicate the voucher type. If your voucher is not included in the list of vouchers, select “Other” and input your voucher name.  Continue to answer the questions from the website until you can save the changes to your account.

When applying to lotteries with a voucher, you can apply for any lotteries in which your maximum payment standard would cover the rental amount for the appropriate bedroom size. Households will not be disqualified for being under the income limits for a lottery if your household has a voucher that would cover your rent. (Make sure not to apply to Senior housing lotteries unless your household contains an adult 62 or older.)

For more information and a list of current housing opportunities please click here.

• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
  HPD requires the following protocol if you identify as a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking:
  • VAWA Notice of Rights must be included as part of all decision notices; this includes, appointment/eligibility notice, ineligibility notice, approval notice, rejection notice or low priority notice,
  • You have 14 days to appeal a rejection under this notice.
  • Marketing agents should take into account certain adverse factors that can be a result of a person being a survivor, including poor credit history, poor rental history, criminal record, or past failure to pay rent. If you are rejected from a unit for one of the above, you can appeal that rejection and explain why the adverse factor is a result of a VAWA covered crime.

Credit Criteria for All Other Applicants

• Credit checks should not be run on individuals applying with any sort of rental subsidy.
• Applicants can opt to provide 12 months of rental history rather than undergo a credit check. For applicants in a homeless shelter, they can submit the 12 months prior to entry to the shelter.

• • Bankruptcy filed or executed within the last 12 months of the credit check,
  • Delinquencies, Collections, and Money Judgments. You may be rejected if you have an open or unsatisfied delinquencies, collections and money judgments that are more than $5,000 in total. This may include money judgments, and any accounts on the credit report that are over 120 delinquent or have been transferred to collections agency. Student loans and medical debt are not included in this total.

Positive Rental History –Applicants who opt to provide rental history in lieu of a credit check, can provide evidence of a positive rental history that shows consistent, complete, and on-time rental payments for the previous 12 months. You can submit the following:

• Canceled checks
• Rent receipts
• A landlord’s written record of rent payment
• Evidence of monthly withdrawals, payments, or transfers e.g., bank statements
• Other evidence (may be subject to agency’s approval)
• Credit Criteria for Homeless Shelter Clients

Marketing agents are not permitted to run credit checks or request rental history payment proof for individuals and families using rental subsidies. For families or individuals in shelter, in lieu of a credit check, rental history from the 12 months preceding entry to shelter can be submitted.

Prohibited Information – The following information may not be used to determine applicant selection:

• Debt to income ratios
• Lack of credit history or rental history
• Guarantors or co-signers
• Home visits, photos/videos, or other representations of the applicant’s living situation
• Personal references
• Outreach to current or previous landlords, neighbors or others associated with your living situation (except when requested by applicants)

Click here to see more information on the new marketing guidelines.

If you have further questions about Housing Connect, you can contact the Housing Connect Hotline at 212-863-7990 or email them at nychousingconnect@hpd.nyc.gov .

If you need help setting up your Housing Connect account and applying to lotteries, you can use a Housing Ambassador organization. Click here to find a Housing Ambassador organization near you.