We can provide you with advice. Where possible, we want to prevent homelessness and we will work with you to try to help you stay in your home. If that is not possible, we will help you find suitable alternative housing.
Information and advice
We provide general housing advice to both tenants and landlords in private and public sector housing.
Some of the things we can help you with are:
- applying for local grants for furniture
- applying for housing costs and other benefits
- domestic violence
- finding education, employment, training and access to other services
- getting involved with your local community
- landlord and tenant disputes
- learning to budget properly and look after your home
- resolving anti-social behaviour and harassment
- tackling mortgage or rent arrears and other debts
- advising about the support we offer, including finding temporary accommodation
- referring you to other agencies that might be able to help
- discussing your rights and help with legal issues
- managing finances and budgets
- completing a homelessness application
- putting you in touch with housing associations and private landlords in your area
You are classed as homeless if you:
- have nowhere to live in the United Kingdom or elsewhere
- are afraid to go home because someone living there has been or may be violent to you or your family
- have nowhere you can live together with all your family
- do not have the owner's permission to stay (you are a squatter)
- have been locked out of your home
- have somewhere to stay but you do not want to stay there
- live in a boat, mobile home or caravan and you have nowhere to put it
- have been given notice by your landlord
- have been taken to court by your mortgage lender for arrears and the court has said you must leave
- have been living with friends or family and they have asked you to leave
Homelessness prevention
We have a legal duty to support you if you are threatened with homelessness and likely to become homeless within 56 days.
Where possible we will take reasonable steps to help you stay in your home. This could be helping you to sort any rent arrears, mediating with your family if they have asked you to leave or working with your landlord to try to resolve any other issues.
If we cannot keep you in your current home, we will help you look for somewhere else to live. You will be given a personal housing plan which lists actions for you to take to help resolve your situation.
Homeless - contacting us outside of normal office hours
If you are homeless, we may be able to arrange emergency accommodation outside of normal office hours - this might be away from your immediate area.
In an emergency and outside of normal office hours call us on 0300 131 2131.