Get help from a housing counselor
Housing counselors can help with your application and housing search. Find a housing counselor.
Lottery preferences give you a better chance at getting housing
Get affordable housing in San Francisco by entering a lottery. Preferences give certain groups priority.
Check if you qualify below.
How preferences work
Preferences are programs that give San Francisco residents and workers a better chance at getting housing.
If you qualify for a preference, it will help you rank higher in the lottery.
If you do not qualify for a preference, you will be ranked below those who do.
Enter a housing lottery
Preferences are available in lotteries run by the City of SF.
Enter a City-sponsored housing lottery on DAHLIA. On the application, we ask questions to find out if you qualify for preferences.
Preferences cannot be used to help you get housing through state or federal programs like section 8 housing.
What documents you need
Each preference requires different documentation.
Make sure you provide the right documentation. Otherwise, you might miss your chance to get housing.
Check if you qualify for a City of SF housing lottery preference
You or your family were forced to move by the SF Redevelopment Agency
You or your family were forced to move by the SF Redevelopment Agency
You can get a Certificate of Preference if you were displaced by the former SF Redevelopment Agency in the 1960s, 70s, or 80s. You can get this preference in the lottery for most buildings.
Descendants of people who were displaced can also qualify. Descendants can get this preference in the lottery for specific buildings.
Check DAHLIA to see which preferences are available for the listing you are interested in.
You were forced to move due to fire, eviction, or rising rent
You were forced to move due to fire, eviction, or rising rent
You can get the Displaced Tenant Housing Preference (DTHP) if you were forced to move due to:
- Fire damage
- Eviction caused by an owner moving into the apartment
- Eviction under the Ellis Act (owner plans to go out of the rental housing business)
- Rising rent costs in an affordable housing unit
- Your apartment was an unlawful or illegal residential unit
You can get this preference in the lottery for buildings with at least 5 units for sale or rent. Check DAHLIA to see which preferences are available for the listing you are interested in.
More about the Displaced Tenant Housing Preference.
You live in the same neighborhood as a new building
You live in the same neighborhood as a new building
You can get the Neighborhood Resident Housing Preference if you live within a half-mile of, or in the same supervisor district as the listing you are applying to.
Find out which Supervisor District you live in.
You can get this preference in the lottery for buildings that:
- Are new (recently built),
- Are being rented or sold for the first time, and
- Have at least 5 units for sale or rent.
Check DAHLIA to see which preferences are available for the listing you are interested in.
You live or work in San Francisco
You live or work in San Francisco
You can get the Live or Work in San Francisco Preference if you already live in San Francisco, or work at least 75% of your working hours in SF.
You can get this preference in the lottery for most buildings. Check DAHLIA to see which preferences are available for the listing you are interested in.
You are a Veteran of the US military
You are a Veteran of the US military
If you are a Veteran, you can get priority within a preference category. You must qualify for at least one other lottery preference to get priority.
Only 1 person needs to qualify.
When at least 1 person on your application qualifies for a preference, the entire household gets a higher lottery ranking.
Provide the right documents
Each preference requires different documentation.
Find out what you need to include with your housing application.
“People using a computer”