What is a good log number in the NYC housing lottery?
Your place in line, explained.
You applied to a housing lottery months ago. Now your Housing Connect dashboard shows a number. Here is what it actually means.
What a log number is
After a lottery's application window closes, a computer randomizes all applications and assigns each one a log number. It is your place in line for review: lower numbers get their applications looked at first. It is not an apartment, not an approval, and not a guarantee. It is a queue position.
It does not matter whether you applied on the first day or the last. Every application submitted before the deadline goes into the same randomization.
What counts as a good (low) log number
There is no universal cutoff, because it depends on the building: how many units are available, how many people applied, and which preferences apply. As a rule of thumb:
- Under 1,000 is strong for most buildings. You will likely be contacted.
- 1,000 to 10,000 is a maybe. Smaller buildings and less popular neighborhoods reach further down the list.
- Above 20,000 at a popular building usually means you will not be reached. Keep the application active anyway; it costs nothing.
Popular developments routinely draw tens of thousands of applications for a handful of units, so most log numbers are high. A high number is the normal outcome, not a mistake.
Preferences change the order
Some units are set aside or prioritized: typically 50% for residents of the local community board, 5% for applicants with mobility disabilities, 2% for vision or hearing disabilities, plus set-asides that can include municipal employees and veterans depending on the building. If you qualify for a preference, your effective position is better than the raw number suggests.
The two mistakes that hurt
- Applying twice. One application per household per lottery. A duplicate can get you disqualified, or the building keeps the application with the worse log number.
- Letting your profile go stale. When your number comes up, the agent reviews the information on file: income, household size, contact details. If it is out of date, you slow your own file down.
What to do while you wait
- Keep your Housing Connect profile current: income, household size, address, phone.
- Have your documents ready now (pay stubs, tax returns, ID, birth certificates). The document request comes with a deadline.
- Keep applying to other lotteries. Each one is independent.
- Check your dashboard periodically for status changes.
The re-rental contrast
Everything above is the lottery game: random order, months of waiting, no control. Re-rentals are the opposite. There is no log number because there is no drawing: vacated affordable units go to the first qualified applicant. If waiting on a log number feels passive, that is because it is.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14.
A re-rental alert puts you at the front of a different line, one where speed is the whole game. Set up a free ReRentalAlert and apply the day a match posts. These move fast: first come, first served for qualified applicants.
Frequently asked questions
Does a low log number guarantee an apartment?
No. It means your application gets reviewed sooner. You still have to pass income, asset, and household verification, and there has to be a unit left.
Can I improve my log number?
No. It is randomly assigned after the deadline. The only thing you control is having clean, current paperwork when you are contacted.
How do I check my log number?
Log into your Housing Connect account and open the application on your dashboard. The log number and status appear there.
I never heard back. Is my application dead?
Not necessarily. Files are processed in order for months after the drawing. But if your number is very high at a popular building, put your energy into new applications and re-rental alerts instead of waiting.