Conditions for public social housing

To qualify for public social housing provided by Reykjavík City, you must meet certain conditions. They depend on age, residency, property ownership, income, and assessment criteria.

Am I entitled to social housing?

To be eligible for public social housing, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Have a permanent address in Reykjavík.
  • Not own any housing.

What are the income thresholds?

In order to be eligible for public social housing, your income must be below certain limits based on the following thresholds:

  • Individuals: 5,995,000 kr. per year.
  • Married couples and common-law partners: 8,394,000 kr. per year.
  • Income thresholds increase by 1,499,000 kr. for each child or youth under 20 years of age who is dependent on the applicant.
  • The income threshold increases by 749,500 kr. for each child or youth under 20 years of age who is in the care of the applicant.
  • The income thresholds are based on the average income of the past three years.

What eligibility criteria must be met?

To qualify for public social housing, you must meet a minimum of the following assessment criteria:

  • Individual/couple/common-law partners: 10 points.
  • Individual/couple/common-law partners with one child: 12 points.
  • Individual/couple/common-law partners with two or more children: 13 points.

Is it possible to get exemptions from the conditions?

There may be exceptions to these eligibility criteria in exceptional circumstances. These are outlined in Article 5 of the Rules on Social Housing.