What is the housing waitlist application form template?
Housing authorities, nonprofit housing providers and income-restricted buildings all keep waitlists, and the first application decides where a household lands on it. Applicants are often filling it in from a phone, sometimes from a shelter, so the form has to be clear, short where it can be, and careful with the questions it asks.
This template runs over three pages. The applicant gives their name, date of birth, phone and "Best way to reach you", with email optional for people who'd rather get letters. The address question accepts any place that can take mail, since not everyone has a home address. The household page asks how many people will live together, lists the other members, and records the "Bedroom size needed". A required question — "Does anyone in the household need an accessible home?" — opens a list of needs such as a wheelchair-accessible unit, step-free access, an accessible bathroom, visual or hearing alerts, and room for a live-in aide.
The last page covers yearly household income and where it comes from, with optional proof uploads, then "Where are you living now?". Choose "Currently homeless" and a priority-need section appears: since when, where the household is sleeping, whether children, a veteran, an older person or someone fleeing violence is involved, and any caseworker. Applications are signed and filed as PDFs in your FileIt vault.
- Best for
- Housing authorities, community housing nonprofits and affordable-housing property managers
- Filled in by
- The head of household, or a caseworker helping them
- Time to complete
- About 12 minutes
- Includes
- Household size and members, bedroom size, accessibility needs, income sources, current housing, a priority-need section, declaration and signature
Who uses a housing waitlist application form?
- Opening a waitlist for a new affordable-housing development
- A housing nonprofit taking applications year-round
- Caseworkers completing applications with clients at a shelter
- Senior or accessible housing that needs to know about access needs up front
- Income-restricted buildings collecting household income before screening
- Reopening a closed list for a short application window
Questions on this housing waitlist application form
25 questions over 3 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.
1 Applicant
- Applicant name*
- Date of birth*
- Phone*
- Best way to reach you* Phone · Text · Email · Mail
- Current or mailing address*
- Preferred language
2 Household
- How many people in your household, including you?*
- Other household members
- Bedroom size needed* Studio · 1 bedroom · 2 bedrooms · 3 bedrooms · 4 or more
- Does anyone in the household need an accessible home?*
- What's needed?* asked only when it applies Wheelchair-accessible unit · Ground floor or elevator · Accessible bathroom or grab bars · Visual or hearing alerts · Room for a live-in aide
- Anything else about these needs asked only when it applies
3 Income & housing
- Total yearly household income before tax*
- Income comes from* Wages · Self-employment · Benefits or public assistance · Pension or Social Security · Child support or alimony · No income at the moment
- Proof of income (optional now)
- Where are you living now?* Renting · Staying with family or friends · Shelter or transitional housing · Currently homeless · In a home I own
- Current monthly rent asked only when it applies
- Homeless since about asked only when it applies
- Where are you sleeping most nights?* asked only when it applies Outside or in a vehicle · Emergency shelter · Moving between friends' places · Somewhere else
- Does any of this apply to your household? asked only when it applies Children under 18 · Fleeing domestic violence · A serious health condition · A veteran · Someone 62 or older
- Are you working with a caseworker or agency? asked only when it applies
- Caseworker name, agency and phone* asked only when it applies
- Declaration*
- Signature*
The housing waitlist application form, page by page
1 Applicant
"Applicant name", date of birth, email (optional), phone, the best way to reach you — phone, text, email or mail — and the "Current or mailing address", with help text for applicants without a fixed address. A preferred language field helps you plan interpreters.
2 Household
"How many people in your household, including you?", then other household members one per line with name, date of birth and relationship. "Bedroom size needed" runs from a studio to four or more. The accessibility question opens the list of needs and a box for anything else.
3 Income & housing
"Total yearly household income before tax" and "Income comes from", including an option for no income at the moment. Proof of income is optional at this stage. "Where are you living now?" offers renting, staying with family or friends, a shelter or transitional housing, currently homeless, or a home you own. Renters are asked their monthly rent. Currently homeless opens the priority-need section: "Homeless since about", "Where are you sleeping most nights?", the priority circumstances, and caseworker details. A declaration that joining the list is not an offer of housing, and a signature, finish the form.
Make the template yours
- Replace the priority circumstances with the preferences in your own allocation policy
- Add income limits to the help text so applicants can check before applying
- Set a close date for a time-limited application window
- Add a question for the household's preferred neighbourhoods or buildings
- Translate the form or add a note about free interpreter help
- Route applications with accessibility needs to a separate notification address
Tips for a better housing waitlist application form
- Keep the first application short and ask for documents when the household nears the top
- Accept a shelter, agency or post office address for applicants without a home
- Say in the confirmation message how and when you'll contact applicants
- Make sure caseworkers know they can fill in the form with their clients
- Review priority answers promptly — they may change where a household sits on the list
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each application is filed as a signed PDF in your vault, with any proof of income attached, and your team is notified. Applicants who gave an email get a copy of what they submitted.
The Responses table lists applications by date, which helps if your list runs on application order. Export to CSV to combine household size, bedroom size and income for screening.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Housing waitlist application form: frequently asked questions
Is this housing waitlist application template free?
Yes. It's a starter template in FileIt's Forms app, on every plan including free.
Does the form decide who is eligible?
No. It collects the information. Eligibility and priority are decided by your own policy and staff.
Can someone without an email apply?
Yes. Email is optional, and the address question accepts any place that can take mail.
When does the priority-need section appear?
Only when the applicant chooses "Currently homeless" as where they live now.
Can a caseworker apply for a client?
Yes. Anyone with the link can complete it, and the priority section asks for caseworker details.