How to Fill Out and Submit the NYC Housing Lottery Application

To apply for the NYC housing lottery, create a free account at housingconnect.nyc.gov, then submit a separate application for each building whose income range and household size match yours. The portal, run jointly by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), lists affordable rental and for-sale lotteries across all five boroughs.1NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). NYC Housing Connect One account lets you apply to as many open lotteries as you want, and your odds are the same whether you submit online or by mail.

Check Your Income Against the Building’s AMI Band First

Before you fill out anything, confirm your household income fits the range advertised for the specific building. Every listing on Housing Connect specifies an income band tied to a percentage of the Area Median Income (AMI) for the New York City metro area, and if your gross annual household income falls even a dollar outside that range — too high or too low — the application will be screened out.2NYC Housing Preservation & Development. Area Median Income

HPD publishes updated AMI charts each year. For 2025, the caps for a one-person household run from $34,020 at 30% of AMI up to $147,420 at 130% of AMI; a four-person household at 80% of AMI can earn up to $129,600. A given two-bedroom might be open only to households of two to four people earning between 50% and 80% of AMI, for example. Match your numbers to the specific advertisement before you start typing.

Gather Your Documents Before You Start

The application is short. What slows people down is the paperwork behind it, and small errors between what you enter now and what your documents show at the interview stage are one of the most common reasons applications get tossed.

Income

You will report gross annual income from employment — pay before taxes and deductions — for every working adult in the household. For self-employment, freelance, or independent contractor work, use net income after business expenses. Recurring non-employment income also counts: Social Security, SSI, public assistance, unemployment, child support, alimony, pensions, and workers’ compensation.3NYC Housing Connect. Applying for Affordable Housing – Applicant Income Guide Pull recent pay stubs, your most recent tax return, and any benefit award letters so you can calculate accurately.

Assets

Every listing carries an asset limit tied to the unit’s AMI level. Assets include checking and savings balances, stocks, bonds, cash, and other investments. Designated retirement funds and college savings accounts are excluded from the asset cap, though they still count when the agency calculates income generated by assets.4The City of New York. HPD/HDC Marketing – Asset Limits and Property Ownership Policies Real property, including co-op shares and partial ownership interests, must be disclosed and counts at full market value against the cap.

Household and Current Housing

You will need the full name, date of birth, and relationship to you of every person who will live in the apartment. Have your current address, rent amount, and landlord’s contact information ready. If you live with someone else and are not the leaseholder, know the details of that arrangement — the eligibility interview will ask for documentation of it later.

Create Your Housing Connect Account

Register at housingconnect.nyc.gov with a working email address or cell phone number. The system sends a confirmation code to activate the account. Your profile stores your household details, so you enter them once and reuse them across every lottery you apply to. Do not create a second account — creating multiple accounts to enter the same lottery is grounds for disqualification.5New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. NYC Housing Connect Terms and Conditions of Use for Applicants and Account Holders

Fill Out the Application for a Specific Building

Once your account is set up, browse open lotteries filtered by borough, income range, and household size. Open the listing for a building you qualify for and start the application. The form walks you through household and income sections: enter each household member’s name, date of birth, and relationship to you, then add income for every working adult. The system checks your inputs against the unit sizes and income bands the building offers.

Every field should match what your documents will show at the interview. If your pay stubs say one figure and your application says another, that gap alone can end your application. Double-check before moving on.

Each lottery is a separate submission tied to one building. Applying to five buildings means five applications, though your profile data carries over. Apply broadly — there is no penalty for it.

Submit Online or By Mail

After the review screen shows what you entered, confirm the data and submit. A confirmation receipt appears immediately. Save it or screenshot it as proof of entry.6NYC Housing Preservation & Development. Housing Connect Application Guides

To apply on paper, follow the directions in the building’s advertisement to request a paper application.7New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. NYC Housing Connect – Applying for Affordable Housing The advertisement lists the mailing address and the deadline. Applications must be postmarked by that deadline; late submissions are not entered.8NYC Housing Connect. 194 22nd Street Apartments Certified mail gives you a tracking number to confirm delivery.

Pick one method per lottery. Submitting both an online and a paper application for the same building can result in disqualification.6NYC Housing Preservation & Development. Housing Connect Application Guides

Claim Any Preferences You Qualify For

Most Housing Connect lotteries reserve a share of units for specific groups. If you qualify, your application is reviewed before the general pool.

  • Community board residents. A percentage of units, often 50%, is set aside for people already living in the community district where the building is located. The exact share appears in the advertisement.
  • City employees and veterans. Starting in late 2025, all new HPD- and HDC-financed construction lotteries include a 10% preference for current City of New York employees and military veterans. Answer “yes” to the city employment question on Housing Connect, and be ready to show a recent pay stub or tax document at the interview.9Office of the Mayor, City of New York. Most Pro-Housing Administration in City History – Mayor Adams Implements New Preference for City Employees and Veterans
  • Applicants with disabilities. HPD and HDC projects set aside 5% of units for people with mobility disabilities and 2% for people with vision or hearing disabilities.10NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Affordable Housing Guide for People with Disabilities

Claim a preference on the form only if you can prove it at the interview. Claiming community board residency for a district you do not live in is a fast track to disqualification.

What Happens After You Submit

Once the deadline passes, a computer assigns every application a random log number that determines review order — lower numbers move forward first.11NYC Housing Connect. Applying for Affordable Housing Applications with qualifying preferences sort to the front of their respective pools before the general pool is reached. Log into your Housing Connect dashboard to see your number and status. Processing can take several months, so silence does not mean rejection.

If your number comes up, the city contacts you by email, mail, or both, depending on your profile settings, and invites you to an eligibility interview. The interview is a document review, not a conversation. Bring copies for every household member — copies are kept on file and will not be returned.12NYC Housing Connect. What to Expect and After You Apply

  • Birth certificates and government-issued photo IDs for all household members
  • Social Security cards for every household member
  • Recent pay stubs (typically the last four to eight weeks), tax returns for the past one to two years, and benefit award letters
  • A copy of your current lease or a notarized letter from your landlord if you have no lease, your last three to twelve rent receipts or canceled rent checks, and recent electric, gas, and phone bills showing your name and current address13NYC Housing Connect. Affordable Housing for New Yorkers – Checklist and Resources

If you live with someone else and are not on their lease, bring a notarized letter from that person along with a copy of their lease and utility bills. The agent compares every document against your application. An income figure that does not line up, a household member who was not listed, or an undisclosed asset can knock you out. Missing the interview or a document deadline means automatic removal.

Mistakes That Get Applications Thrown Out

Most disqualifications are avoidable. The recurring ones:

  • Income outside the listed range. Calculate carefully against the AMI chart before applying.
  • Undisclosed assets or income. Anything that surfaces at the interview but was not on the application pulls your file. Report everything upfront.
  • Real property ownership. Owning real estate, including partial interests, co-op shares, or investment properties, can disqualify you even if you do not live in the property.4The City of New York. HPD/HDC Marketing – Asset Limits and Property Ownership Policies
  • Duplicate applications. One online plus one paper for the same building, or multiple accounts entering the same lottery, ends both entries.
  • Missing documents or deadlines. Not responding to an interview invitation, showing up without required paperwork, or missing a document deadline means removal.
  • False preference claims. Community board residency and city employment are both verified at the interview.

Many people apply to dozens of lotteries before getting selected, and one careless entry can waste a good log number. Match every field to your actual documents, keep your Housing Connect profile updated when your household or income changes, and respond promptly to anything you receive from HPD or a building’s management agent.

If You Want to Skip the Lottery

Housing Connect is not the only path. HPD and HDC also list re-rental apartments, which become available when a previous tenant moves out. Re-rentals are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis without a lottery, so they move fast.1NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). NYC Housing Connect Check the HPD and HDC re-rental pages regularly if you want to bypass the wait.