SANEL Guide
Housing preferences explained
Community Board, municipal employee, accessibility and other preferences can affect processing order without changing the basic eligibility rules.
A preference is not the same as eligibility
Preferences can reserve a share of units or affect selection order for applicants who meet specific criteria. They do not usually erase the core income, household-size or program requirements.
Examples you may see
- Community Board or local resident preference.
- Municipal employee preference.
- Mobility accessibility preference.
- Vision or hearing accessibility preference.
- Veteran or other program-specific preferences.
- NYCHA resident preference where published.
SANEL provides housing information and eligibility estimates for convenience. Housing providers and government agencies make final eligibility and application decisions.