Downsizing or upsizing your council property

Downsizing or upsizing your council property

You have a few options if you are a council tenant and your home is too big or small.

You can pursue more than one option to increase your chances of finding a more suitable home.

Under occupying

Having a home with more bedrooms than you need for your family is known as under occupying.

You could lose some housing benefit if your current home is deemed to be too large. This can lead to financial hardship as you will have to pay the difference yourself. You may also find a larger home difficult to manage.

If you are in this situation, you may be able to use our Right Size service to downsize.

Overcrowding

Having a home with fewer bedrooms than you need for your family is known as overcrowding.

If you are overcrowded and a social tenant, you can register for a transfer if you are not an introductory tenant. However, waiting times for larger properties are likely to be much longer than for smaller properties.

You can also search for a mutual exchange. Your chances of success are likely to be higher than in the past due to the number of people looking to downsize due to welfare reform.

To found out more information contact: 

• Kettering area: [email protected]
• Corby area: [email protected] 

Extra support

Homefinder UK is a national non-profit mobility scheme that can help you move home.

Last updated 19 March 2025