evidence: Social housing lettings are when social housing properties - homes owned by social landlords - are rented by households at cheaper rents than in the private sector. Social landlords can be a local authority (often known as "council housing") or a private registered provider (which includes housing associations). They must be registered with the Regulator of Social Housing. In most areas, social housing is allocated by the local authority. Each local authority runs a "waiting list" as there are more people applying for social housing than properties available. 17% of households in England live in social housing[footnote 1]. [...] The 267,000 households with a new social housing letting in 2021/22 equated to approximately 487,000 people – roughly 1 in 116 people in England[footnote 1]. This is an increase of 52,000 (12%) from the previous year (2020/21). [...] 59% of households who were new to the social housing sector in 2021/22 were on the waiting list for less than a year in that local authority area before they got their letting. 12% of households were on the waiting list for 5 years or more before getting a social letting in that area.