It is difficult to answer this question because until an affordable home is put up for sale or an affordable rental lease is not renewed, there will not be a unit to offer to the next person on the waiting list. Once a unit becomes available, it is offered to the next person on the waiting list whose household composition (household size and income) matches the unit type.
Additionally, the following variables affect wait time:
- Whether the waiting list is determined by lottery number or interest date (the date a waiting list is joined).
- An applicant’s lottery number or interest date.
- The number of applicants whose lottery number or interest date are ahead of another applicant’s.
- The number of affordable units in the development.
- The number of rental leases NOT renewed or the number of affordable houses put up for sale.
- The type of affordable unit an applicant qualifies for (income level and number of bedrooms).
We have no control over the number of units that may become available in any given year. If no one moves out in a year, then no one on the waiting list will be contacted about an affordable unit. Likewise, if a household moves out of a one bedroom, moderate income home, for example, and the next person on the list needs a 3 bedroom, low income home, this larger household will not be eligible for the vacancy and will remain on the waiting list.
To learn how a municipality waiting list is determined, please visit your Affordable Homes New Jersey Profile. Under the “My Ownership Waiting Lists” and “My Rental Waiting Lists” tabs, you can find your interest date and lottery number, if applicable. In the short description under each municipality, we indicate whether we are currently contacting people by lottery number or interest date and how long the estimated wait time will be.
We also provide information about each municipality and development at www.affordablehomesnewjersey.com. On the Home page, click the Affordable Opportunities tab and choose to filter results by rental, ownership, or all and sort by county, municipality, or name. Open links from the results to go to pages for specific municipalities and developments. These pages provide all available information, including the number of affordable units in the program.
While you are waiting, we advise you to:
- Keep your profile up-to-date (income and household size) to ensure you will be matched to the correct unit type. Additionally, if there are changes to your contact information (address, phone number or email), please update your profile immediately.
- Respond to all correspondence from Affordable Homes New Jersey before the deadline indicated. When we get to your name on the waiting list, we will email you additional details about the available unit and invite you to request a visit to see the unit. The process moves quickly and when an applicant does not respond in a timely manner, we move to the next applicant on the waiting list.