How to apply for the NYC housing lottery: a step-by-step guide

To apply for the NYC housing lottery, create a free profile on NYC Housing Connect, the city's affordable housing portal. Then apply, before each deadline, to every lottery whose income range and household size fit you. After the deadline, each on-time application gets a random log number, its place in line. If yours is reached, the building's agent, the company that rents the homes, asks for documents.

Want to see what's open before you read on? Browse open New York City lotteries and first-come listings, with rents, income limits and deadlines.

Who can apply for an NYC housing lottery?

Anyone can apply, with a few catches, says the city's guide. You must be at least 18. You'll probably need a Social Security number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, a tax ID for people who can't get a Social Security number. New York City residents usually get priority. And your income must fall inside a range each building sets for your household size. Immigration status is not a condition of eligibility, the Marketing Handbook says.

How do I apply, step by step?

1. Add up your household's yearly income.
2. Create your Housing Connect profile.
3. Find lotteries that fit your income and household size.
4. Apply online or on paper (not both) before the deadline.
5. Wait for your log number, then send documents if you're asked.

How do I create my Housing Connect profile?

First gather everyone's yearly income: jobs, your own business, workers' compensation, Social Security, public assistance and some investment or retirement payments. Use pay before taxes if you work for someone else, and net income (after business costs) if you work for yourself.

Then sign up for free at nyc.gov/housingconnect. The profile asks about everyone in your household: income, assets (savings and property) and disability status. If you have a rental voucher, say so there. Keep it current, because the city takes a "snapshot" of your profile when your log number comes up, and nothing can change after that.

Since July 9, 2025, you can also pick the unit sizes you want. If you choose one, you won't be contacted for lotteries that lack it. Leave it blank and you're considered for all sizes.

Send one application per building:

• Same household twice: only the application with the highest (worst) log number counts.
• Same person in different households: if one person is on two applications that differ in who lives there, all of them are rejected.

What are the NYC housing lottery income limits for 2026?

Income is measured against area median income (AMI), the middle household income for the region. A home "at 50% AMI" is for households earning up to half of that. Here are the city's 2026 maximums:

The city's table goes up to eight people. Buildings can use other levels too, so read each listing's range.

A worked example. A household of three earns $100,000 a year. That's above the $76,350 limit for 50% AMI, so lotteries capped there are out. It's under the $122,160 limit for 80% AMI, so a lottery whose range includes $100,000 can fit, as long as the household also meets the building's minimum income.

Do savings or owning property matter?

Yes. For rentals, the asset limit equals the four-person income limit for the unit's AMI level: $84,800 for a 50% AMI home and $135,680 for an 80% AMI home in 2026, whatever your household size. Retirement and college savings accounts don't count. Also, nobody in your household can own residential property, including co-op shares (a share in a building owned by its residents), in or within 100 miles of New York City limits. That is the rental rule. Limits change yearly, so check the city's asset limits page.

Which preferences can move me up the list?

Agents review applicants in this order: people with disabilities, community board residents (people who live in the building's local area), city employees and veterans, other New York City residents, then everyone else. Preferences apply to a building's first lottery, not to re-rentals (homes a tenant has moved out of).

For lotteries published since November 15, 2025, 10% of homes go to city employees and veterans together. It used to be 5% for city employees only. If any of these fit you, say so in your profile and applications.

How do I find a lottery and send my application?

Open the Open Lotteries page on Housing Connect. Each listing shows the number of homes, how many people can live in each, the income range and the deadline, which can be a few weeks to a couple of months away. Click Apply Now once your profile is complete. A paper application by mail has the same chances, but use one method. Sending both gets you disqualified.

What happens after the deadline, and what are my odds?

Every on-time application, online or paper, gets a log number in a random shuffle, and a lower number is reviewed sooner. Applying early doesn't help.

Be ready for long odds. The city's data for January 2022 to October 2024 shows about 10.9 million applications and about 20,200 signed leases, roughly one lease per 540 applications. It's a rough guide: the report counts applications, not people. Qualifying doesn't mean you'll be selected. Check your dashboard for status and keep applying. The city's guide says it can take a year or longer to hear back.

What happens if my log number is reached?

The agent sends a notice, usually through Housing Connect, asking for documents. You get at least 10 weekdays to respond, and at least 5 more if you send only some. Miss the deadline and the agent can reject you.

The agent can also check your credit, or you can hand over 12 months of rent payment proof instead. Under the handbook, agents can reject over credit only for a bankruptcy in the past 12 months or more than $5,000 in unpaid delinquencies, collections, judgments or liens (legal claims over unpaid debts) (medical and student loan debt don't count). Housing Court information can't be used. With a voucher or other rental subsidy, there's no credit check at all.

A credit check fee is allowed only if you look eligible and a unit is available, and it's the real cost or $20 per application, whichever is less. If you're offered a unit, you get at least 5 weekdays to respond.

A rejection letter explains why and how to appeal. The city's guide says you have 10 business days from the postmark to send a written appeal. A supervisor who wasn't the first reviewer looks at it.

What documents should I have ready?

Start collecting copies now. The city lists three groups:

• Who lives with you: birth certificates, Social Security cards, photo IDs.
• Everyone's income: pay stubs, tax returns, proof of Social Security, veteran or public assistance benefits.
• Your current home: your lease, rent receipts, recent gas or electric bills.

Anyone 18 or older who will live in the apartment needs to attend the screening interview, the city's guide says.

What about re-rentals?

Re-rentals are existing affordable homes that open up when a tenant moves out. In the "Housing Choices" part of your profile, you can say yes to being considered for them. There's a catch right now. From May 1, 2025 through an expected end date of April 30, 2027, the city has waived the Housing Connect requirement for re-rentals at certain developments. For buildings run through HDC, the city's Housing Development Corporation, you contact the property directly. Buildings run through HPD, the city's housing department, must post openings publicly. Agents process applicants first come, first served or by their waitlist rules. Nine of our 24 first-come New York City listings are labeled HDC re-rentals.

How many NYC lotteries are open right now?

As of October 5, 2026, we list 40 open New York City rentals: 16 lotteries and 24 first come, first served.

See them all on our New York City affordable housing page, or search the listings we have.

Does it cost anything to apply?

No. The city says there are no application or broker fees for homes on Housing Connect. If someone charges you to process an application, call 311 or 212-639-9675.

What should I do next?

Check which open lotteries match your household on our qualify page. New to lotteries? Read how housing lotteries work. Looking outside the five boroughs? Try our Long Island page.