Want to get onto the City’s social housing list? Here’s everything you need to know
Housing opportunities are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with age and special needs taken into account.
Buying a home. Pexels: Rdne Stock Project 8293778
Mike Wills interviews Carl Pophaim, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements at the City of Cape Town.
Listen below.
Residents of Cape Town may have access to various housing opportunities.
By registering and applying on the City's Housing Needs Register, you can receive guidance from the City of Cape Town on options that best meet your needs.
This process ensures that housing opportunities are distributed fairly, transparently, and equitably.
Housing opportunities are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with age and special needs taken into account.
Pophaim highlights that there are currently 340,000 applicants on the list.
"The Housing Needs Register is a database where residents are able to inform the City of their need for a human settlements opportunity."
- Carl Pophaim, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements – City of Cape Town
The housing opportunities include:
- City-owned rental accommodation
- Social housing
- State-subsidised Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses
To qualify to be placed on the Housing Needs Register, you must:
- be a South African citizen or permanent resident;
- be legally competent to enter into a contract;
- be married or cohabiting, or have dependents (does not apply to applicants over the age of 60 or who have disabilities);
- be over the age of 18;
- have a combined household income of less than R3 500 per month to qualify for BNG housing;
- never have owned a property;
- never have benefited from a government housing subsidy before.
"In any opportunities that become available, those who have been waiting the longest within a particular target area, will access an opportunity first."
- Carl Pophaim, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements – City of Cape Town
You can register:
- on the Housing Needs Register online;
- at your nearest City housing office;
- at the MyEstate mobile office when it comes to your area;
- at Parow Walk-in Centre or Wale Street Walk-in Centre.
You need to submit:
- a certified copy of your ID and spouse's ID, if applicable;
- a completed Housing Assistance Form
- certified copies of your children's birth certificates, if applicable;
- certified copies of marriage or divorce certificates;
- details of special needs within the household, and supporting documents such as medical records;
- proof of address.
"In the City of Cape Town, we've done something that hasn't been done anywhere else in the country – we've prioritised access to affordable housing."
- Carl Pophaim, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements – City of Cape Town
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.