What is the Housing Lottery?

The NYC Housing Lottery is your chance to secure a brand‑new, rent‑stabilized apartment in New York City. In this article you’ll learn how the lottery works — and the smartest ways to boost your odds of winning.

Society Brooklyn at DeGraw Housing Lottery

Table of Contents

1. Housing Lottery in One Minute
2. Who is Eligible
3. Application Timeline
4. Tips & tricks for applying
5. Community Preference & Other Set-Asides
6. Top Myths — Busted
7. Frequently Asked Questions
8. Bottom Line

1. Housing Lottery in One Minute

The NYC Housing Lottery is the City’s main way of leasing newly built , rent‑stabilized apartments at below‑market prices.

Why “Lottery”?

When a building opens applications, everyone who eligible can apply. After the deadline, applicants are randomly assigned a lottery number. The “winners” will be determined based on these lottery numbers.

Who organizes it?

Mostly NYC Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) and NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC) via the online portal Housing Connect.

How “affordable” is it?

Rents are linked to Area Median Income (AMI) bands, ranging from 40 % AMI (deep affordability) to 130 % AMI (moderate income). Basically, if you win the housing lottery, you will be spending at most 1/3 of your household income on rent.

2. Who Is Eligible?

While almost everyone is eligible for at least some of the lotteries, eligibility for each individual lottery is based on the following factors:

Income & Household Size

• Your annual gross household income must fall within the AMI band advertised on Housing Connect
• Household size = everyone who will live in the unit and will sign the lease.

Age

• The primary applicant must be 18+, other household members don’t have to be 18+.

Residency

• Anyone can apply to the housing lottery, but to have a realistic chance of winning, the main applicant should be an NYC resident

Credit & Housing History

• Landlords can run a background checks after you are contacted.
• Past evictions or rent arrears could disqualify you from winning, your credit score alone can not be used against you

No Duplicate Applications

• Submitting more than one application for the same lottery could lead to disqualification.

You can check here which lotteries you’re eligible for.

3. Application timeline

1. Create a Housing Connect account and fill out your household profile.
2. Search for lotteries you’re eligible for & apply to them.
3. Wait for the lottery deadline, no ranking happens until the lottery closes.
4. Lottery number assigned (2–4 weeks). Lower = better chance.
5. Marketing‑agent reaches out to you if your number comes up.
6. Provide documents to marketing agent proving eligibility.
7. Eligibility interview: income & household verification.
8. Unit offer → walk‑through → lease signing.

Average time from applying to moving in: 9–18 months.

4. Tips & tricks for applying

While the steps above outline the sequence, this section zooms in on the best practices submitting an application and avoiding the most common errors.

4.1 Create a profile on Housing Connect

Applying through housing connect can be challenging and time-consuming, so clear an hour or 2 in your calendar to make sure you have enough time to create your household profile.

Here are some tips & tricks:

• Use a desktop PC to fill out your application, using a phone will make things difficult.
• Use household members’ legal names, and double check the spelling.
• Enter all of your legal, taxable income. Later on in the process you will need official documents to prove your income. Mentioning untaxed income will lead to disqualification

4.2 Applying to lotteries

• Create a calendar reminder to ensure that you regularly visit Housing Connect to look for new lotteries you’re eligible for. Once the deadline has passed, it becomes impossible to apply.
• Never apply twice to the same lottery — Housing Connect will auto‑flag duplicates, and you will be disqualified.

4.3 Stay alert

• Keep an eye on your email inbox, if you are selected, you will receive an email asking you to submit documents proving your eligibility.

5. Community Preference & Other Set‑Asides

In each lottery, a certain percentage of units are reserved for specific groups of people. Being part of one of these groups can dramatically increase your odds of winning.

Community Board Preference

20% of all units are reserved for people who live the Community District where the building is located in. You can use the NYC Planning website’s Community District Lookup Tool to find out which community board district you live in.

Disability Set‑Aside

7 % of all units are reserved for applicants with a certified disability.

• 5% of units are reserved for those with mobility disabilities
• 2% of units are set aside for those with vision or hearing disabilities

NYC Employee Preference

5 % of all units are reserved for Full‑time employees of New York City, i.e. people who receive their W2 from the City.

Age Preference

Some lotteries are only available for seniors (62+). Often these lotteries don’t have income requirements, instead rent is defined as a certain percentage of total income

Formerly Homeless Set‑Aside

In a small number of lotteries, a portion of apartments is reserved for people referred by shelters or approved social‑service providers.

6. Top Myths — Busted

Here are some of the biggest misconceptions — and the truth behind each one:

Myth: You must earn very little to qualify

There’s lotteries available for a wide range of incomes. In fact, even with an annual household income of $240K, you can still be eligible for some lotteries.

Myth: Applying early improves your odds.

The system shuffles every application after the deadline, so the time at which you applied doesn’t matter.

Myth: You will be disqualified for…

• Not Having a Bank Account: Not having a bank account does not impact an applicant’s eligibility.
• Living in a Shelter: NYC’s Housing Connect program is open to all eligible applicants, including those in shelters.
• Section 8 & Rental Assistance: Receiving rental assistance like Section 8 cannot be used as a reason to reject an applicant.
• Immigration Status: U.S. citizenship is not required. The NYC Housing Lottery is meant to provide affordable housing to all New Yorkers and is open to non-citizens, including those with ITINs instead of SSNs.

7. Frequently Asked Questions

What documents will I need if selected?

Expect to provide the last two years of federal tax returns, recent pay stubs or benefit letters, government‑issued ID for every adult, proof of assets (bank statements), and any papers that support preferences — such as a physician’s letter for the disability set‑aside.

How long does it take to move in after I’m contacted?

If your paperwork is complete, the verification and lease‑signing process usually takes 4–8 weeks. Missing documents or complex household situations can stretch it to several months.

Can I update my Housing Connect profile after I’ve applied?

Yes. You can edit your household information at any time. Changes apply to future applications; they do not modify submissions for lotteries that have already closed.

8. Bottom Line

Everyone who meets the basic eligibility rules should apply — there’s no downside. A single winning ticket can get you a brand‑new, rent‑stabilized apartment, saving you thousands of dollars every year and giving you long‑term housing security in one of the toughest rental markets on earth.

With Homey automating the paperwork, applying only takes about 7 minutes — yet the payoff can be life‑changing.