How to enter the Housing Lottery in Final Fantasy XIV

Housing is one of the most expensive and rarest features in Final Fantasy XIV, and its acquisition system is being reworked following Endwalker’s release. On top of being expensive (several million gil), houses are extremely limited in number, so only a small part of the player base can brag about owning one.

Before, players had to wait for a plot to be available and stay in front of it until it was open. It could happen at any moment, sometimes after one minute or up to 15 hours. In an effort to not miss the opening, players usually remained in front of a sign and tried to buy it continuously for hours. Some even bought bots to get it more easily, ruining the efforts of others.

But this system is no more. Alongside the release of Endwalker last December, the housing market was temporarily shut down. It will open later with a new lottery system, although its release date has yet to be revealed.

If you’ve been waiting for it to be introduced before getting your own house, here’s how to enter the lottery.

How to enter the Housing Lottery in FFXIV

To enter the Housing Lottery, you’ll have to meet some requirements. Your character needs to have reached level 50 in at least one job and the Second Lieutenant rank in its Grand Company. In addition, while it’s possible to relocate for a new plot, players can only have a house on one character per World.

Here are the steps of the Housing Lottery, as described by the FFXIV producers in the Live Letter from the Producer last November:

• Head to your housing district of choice.
• Open the map and look for auction hammers. It means the plots are up to purchase. It’s also possible to identify them when asking to look at the plots list by speaking to the district’s NPC.
• Head to the plot available and right-click on its placard.
• Pay the full price of the plot and enter the lottery. You’ll be able to see the number of entrants before, so you can go to all plots and weigh your chances to help you choose which one to apply for.
• Players can only enter the lottery for one plot in each period. To maximize your chances, you’ll have to avoid Ishgard’s Empyreum district and favor smaller plots.
• If you won the Lottery, you’ll have to claim the land in a short delay or you’ll lose the house and half the payment. If you lost, the full payment will be refunded.