Homelessness, rehousing and overcrowding

Your rights if you are homeless, in temporary accommodation, overcrowded, or need to move.

Guides in this topic

37 plain-English guides. 3 to 5 minute reads, no jargon, free to use.

• Homeless or being evicted? What to do, step by stepIf you are homeless or about to lose your home, your council may have a legal duty to help. Here is what the law says, what to do today, and the free services that can help you.2 min read→
• Temporary accommodation: your rights, in plain EnglishIf your council has put you in temporary accommodation, it has to be suitable. Families with children should not be in a B&B for more than 6 weeks. Here is what your rights are and who to ask for help.2 min read→
• Overcrowding: your rights and what you can doIf your home is too small for your family, the law may class it as overcrowded. Here is what counts as overcrowding, what it means for a council move, and where to get help.2 min read→
• How to get rehoused: the council housing register explainedIf your home is too small, unsafe, or wrong for your health, you may be able to move through the council housing register. Here is how it works and how priority is decided.2 min read→
• Disabled adaptations and the Disabled Facilities GrantIf you or someone in your home is disabled, you may be able to get your home adapted, with help from a Disabled Facilities Grant of up to £30,000. Here is how it works and how to apply.2 min read→
• What is a suitability review, and can I challenge my temporary accommodation?If the council placed you in temporary accommodation that is unsuitable, you have 21 days to ask for a suitability review. Here is how, and who can help.1 min read→
• Challenging a homelessness decision (Section 184 review)When the council decides on your homelessness application, they send a Section 184 letter. You have 21 days to ask for a Section 202 review.3 min read→
• How to apply to the council as homeless, step by stepIf you are homeless or about to be, the council has a duty to help. Here is the step-by-step application process and what to bring.3 min read→
• Bidding on the housing register, how the choice-based letting system worksMost councils use a 'choice-based letting' system. Here is how bidding works, what 'banding' means, and how to improve your chances.3 min read→
• The council says they can't rehouse me until I have a court order: is this right?This problem comes up a lot. A tenant is living in a home with bad disrepair. They ask the council for help to move. The council says it cannot help them4 min read→
• Priority need for homelessness: what counts and what doesn'tWhen you apply to the council as homeless, they look at one big question. They check if you are in "priority need". This is a legal test. If you have4 min read→
• How long can the council keep you in temporary accommodation?Many people in temporary accommodation expect to be there for weeks. Instead, they end up there for months or years. Here is what the law says, what your4 min read→
• Intentionally homeless: what it means and how to challenge the decisionHas the council told you that you are intentionally homeless? This is one of the most serious decisions they can make about your housing. An intentionally4 min read→
• How long is the council house waiting list?Waiting times for a council or housing association home vary hugely. Some people wait a few months. Others wait well over ten years. It depends on where you3 min read→
• How to strengthen your housing register application with medical evidenceDo you have a health condition that your home makes worse? You may be able to move up to a higher priority band on the housing register. The trick is to give5 min read→
• Housing First: what it is and who it is forHousing First is a way of helping people who sleep rough or have been homeless for a long time. It gives them a stable home straight away. They do not have4 min read→
• Domestic abuse and rehousing: your housing priority rightsFleeing domestic abuse, you hold clear rights to emergency and settled housing through the council. You do not have to stay in a dangerous home. And you need3 min read→
• The Homelessness Reduction Act: the prevention duty explainedThe Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 brought in two main duties. These are duties that councils owe to eligible people who are homeless or at risk of becoming4 min read→
• Local connection and homelessness: what it means and when it mattersApply to a council as homeless and it may look at your "local connection" to the area. Local connection matters in two spots. First, when the council thinks3 min read→
• Section 202 review: challenging a homelessness decisionSometimes the council says no to your homelessness application. They might say you are not homeless. They might say you are not in priority need. They might4 min read→
• Priority need: pregnancy and homelessnessPregnant, and homeless or at risk of it? You may have priority need for council help. Here is what that means, what the council must do, and how it connects2 min read→
• Mutual exchange: swapping social housing tenanciesRent from a council or housing association and want to move? A mutual exchange lets you swap tenancies with another social tenant. Here is how it works, who3 min read→
• Out-of-area placement for homeless families: your rightsA council that cannot find a suitable home nearby may offer you one somewhere else. This is an out-of-area placement. It happens more often than most people3 min read→
• Refusing a council housing offer: what happens and your rightsThe council may offer you a home. This can come from the housing register, or as part of a homelessness duty. Saying yes or no is a big decision. Refusing an4 min read→
• Priority need: how the council weighs vulnerabilityApply to the council as homeless, and the full housing duty comes only where you count as in "priority need". For some groups it is automatic. Families with3 min read→
• Emergency housing: what to do if you are homeless tonightNowhere to sleep tonight? Here is where to go, who to call, and what to expect when you ask the council for emergency help.3 min read→
• Your homeless application has been refused: what to do nextHas the council refused your homeless application? Or has it found that it does not owe you the main housing duty? You have the right to challenge that4 min read→
• The main housing duty: what the council owes you if you are homelessYou can apply to the council as homeless. Pass the legal tests, and the council owes you the "main housing duty": its highest duty. It must find you suitable3 min read→
• Bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families: your rightsHomeless with children, or pregnant? The council may place you in a bed and breakfast, a B&B, while it weighs your application and finds something better.2 min read→
• Choice-based lettings: how social housing is allocatedHomeless, or living in unsuitable housing? A council waiting list may follow. In most areas, social housing gets handed out through a system called3 min read→
• Duty to refer: how public bodies must help homeless peopleThe duty to refer is a legal rule. It means some public bodies must tell the local council when they meet someone who is homeless. It also covers someone at4 min read→
• Care leavers and housing: your rights when leaving the care systemYoung people leaving the care system face particular housing challenges. Here is what support care leavers are owed, what happens when renting privately, and3 min read→
• Sofa surfing: are you legally homeless and what help can you get?"Sofa surfing" means staying with friends or family for now because no permanent home of your own exists. Many people in this spot never realise they may2 min read→
• Intentional homelessness: what it means and how to challenge itAsk the council for homelessness help, and it will look at whether you made yourself homeless on purpose. This is called "intentional homelessness". A2 min read→
• Homelessness application: what happens after you applyHave you asked your council for help because you are homeless? Or are you about to? It can be a scary, uncertain time. Here is what happens at each stage in3 min read→
• Social housing transfer request: how to ask to move to a different propertyA council or housing association tenant whose home no longer works? Too small, too big, wrong area, poor condition? A transfer to a different social home may2 min read→
• Housing register bands and priority: how councils decide who gets housed firstOn a council housing waiting list? You have likely been placed in a band. Bands decide who gets housed first. Knowing how they work helps you make sense of2 min read→