Open housing lotteries and waitlists: November 2026

Open housing lotteries closing in November 2026 draw names at random after their deadlines, so applying early doesn't help. See the lotteries closing in the next 30 days. A waitlist is a line you join now for an apartment later, so apply to those soon. As of November 5, 2026, you can apply to 121 open lotteries and 808 open waitlists.

Where can you see what closes in the next 30 days?

• Lotteries closing in the next 30 days
• Waitlists closing in the next 30 days
• Everything closing in the next 30 days, including first-come listings, where homes go to qualified applicants in the order they apply (first come, first served)
• All open housing lotteries, with the ones closing in the next 7 days first

How many lotteries and waitlists are open in each state?

An open waitlist is a line for one building or program. An area-wide waitlist is a list for a whole city or county, run by a local housing office. It is for a Section 8 voucher, which pays part of your rent at a private landlord, or for public housing, apartments the housing office owns.

Area-wide waitlists in every state are on our waitlists page.

How do you apply to a housing lottery?

Each listing names its own steps. In New York City's Housing Connect system, the city's website for its housing lotteries, a lottery works like this, according to the city's guide to applying:

1. Create an account and enter everyone in your household, with their income.
2. Pick a lottery whose household size and income range fit you, and note its deadline.
3. Apply online or on paper, not both. Your chances are the same either way, but sending both disqualifies you.
4. Wait for the drawing. After the deadline, a computer gives each application a random number, called a log number. A low number can mean you hear back sooner. So can a preference, a rule that puts certain groups first, such as people who live in the neighborhood.
5. Send your papers if you are picked. You upload documents such as ID and pay stubs, so the office that runs the lottery can check that you qualify.

Being picked isn't an approval: you still have to show that you meet the rules. Gather your papers before you apply, using our list of what to bring, and check your income against each listing with our qualify check.

What should you check before you apply?

Read the listing's official page for these five things before you spend time on an application:

• The income range. Your household's yearly income before taxes must be under the income limit, the most a household of your size can earn and still apply. If the listing has a minimum income, the least you must earn to show you can pay the rent, you must earn at least that.
• Household size. Many listings set the number of people for each apartment size.
• The deadline and how to send it. Note the date, the time and the time zone, and whether it must be online, postmarked or hand-delivered.
• Who goes first. Some lotteries put certain groups first, such as people who live or work in the city.
• Any fee. A housing office can't charge you to apply for public housing or a Section 8 voucher. If someone asks you to pay to join, or move up, a Section 8 or public housing list, it is a scam.

Do November holidays change deadlines?

Under federal law, Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 26, 2026. Federal offices close those days, and many state and local offices do too. If a listing asks for an application postmarked or hand-delivered by a date near a holiday, call the office to ask whether the deadline moves and when it is open.

What about lists with no closing date?

Some lists post no closing date. That doesn't mean a list stays open. HUD, the federal housing department, says a housing office may close its waitlist when more families are on it than it can help soon. For Section 8 vouchers, federal rules say an office must announce each opening publicly.

So apply to lists with no date as soon as you find them. HUD says waits are long, so you may need to join several voucher waitlists. Find Section 8 waitlists that are open, and apply to income-restricted apartments, buildings with lower rents for households under an income limit, at the same time.