Council confirms over 4,000 families are waiting for social housing, highlighting the critical shortage and high rental costs in the city.
By Laura Medhurst
••3 min read
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Generic image of a house key on documents with a blurred cityscape.
More than 4,000 families are now registered on Oxford's housing waiting list, as the city council confirms the urgent need for more affordable homes.
Oxford City Council has confirmed that 4,068 applicants are currently registered on the Housing Register, awaiting social housing. This figure underscores the significant demand for affordable homes, with approximately half of the need being for one-bedroom properties (2,035) and a further 1,761 applications for two and three-bedroom homes, representing 43% of the total.
The authority receives an average of 160 new applications each month. This situation is exacerbated by Oxford's high housing costs, which make it increasingly difficult for residents to secure affordable accommodation. A report by the Centre for Cities identified Oxford as the UK's least affordable city. Average private rents in Oxford reached £1,963 per month in August 2026, equivalent to about 55% of the median gross annual earnings for full-time workers in the city.
During 2025/26, over 500 households at risk of homelessness were provided with temporary accommodation. An additional 996 households were given enhanced preference on the register due to overcrowding. Oxford City Council is undertaking a four-year programme to deliver 1,632 affordable homes, including 1,072 for social rent, through its housing company, OX Place. Current developments are planned for Sandy Lane (331 homes), Northfield (51 homes), and Bertie Place (31 homes).
The council is also collaborating with private developers and housing associations to increase the supply of affordable homes in areas like Blackbird Leys and Oxford North. However, due to the city's limited development sites, floodplains, and Green Belt restrictions, the council proposes releasing a portion of the Green Belt around the city for development under a potential Greater Oxford Council, aiming to build 40,000 homes, including 16,000 social and affordable homes, by 2040.
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"If there was any doubt that Oxford is in the midst of a housing crisis, the fact that over 4,000 people are now on our Housing Register is a stark reminder. Behind every application is a person or family who needs a safe, secure place to call home in a city where the private rental sector is amongst the most expensive in the country."
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"We’re urgently building new homes across Oxford, working with partners and have even set up our own development company OX Place to ensure social housing remains a key priority. However, with usable land in shorter and shorter supply in the city, we are utilising every inch, demolishing empty garages, building on former landfills and converting brownfield sites to homes."
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"We are making progress. Just last week I was at Chestnut Tower in Blackbird Leys watching 61 households from our housing register move into new homes for social rent. . This is just one of many similar developments we are leading across the city. But as this daunting figure shows, more needs to be done."
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"Ultimately, Oxford Needs Homes, and the only way to build enough of them is to give the city more land to develop. A Greater Oxford Council offers the best chance for the city to tackle this housing crisis and to cut our housing waiting list to zero."
Based on information from the official source: Oxford City Council (14/10/2026)
