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 step
If 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.
Read · 2 min
Temporary accommodation: your rights, in plain English
If 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.
Read · 2 min
Overcrowding: your rights and what you can do
If 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.
Read · 2 min
How to get rehoused: the council housing register explained
If 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.
Read · 2 min
Disabled adaptations and the Disabled Facilities Grant
If 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.
Read · 2 min
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.
Read · 1 min
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.
Read · 3 min
How to apply to the council as homeless, step by step
If 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.
Read · 3 min
Bidding on the housing register, how the choice-based letting system works
Most councils use a 'choice-based letting' system. Here is how bidding works, what 'banding' means, and how to improve your chances.
Read · 3 min
The council says they can't rehouse me until I have a court order: is this right?
This is a pattern that comes up regularly. A tenant is living in a home with serious disrepair. They contact the council for help being rehoused. The council
Read · 3 min
Priority need for homelessness: what counts and what doesn't
When you apply to the council as homeless, one of the questions they will consider is whether you are in "priority need". Priority need is a legal threshold:
Read · 4 min
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 your
Read · 3 min
Intentionally homeless: what it means and how to challenge the decision
If the council has told you that you are intentionally homeless, this is one of the most serious decisions they can make about your housing application. An
Read · 4 min
How long is the council house waiting list?
Waiting times for a council or housing association home vary enormously, from a few months to well over a decade, depending on where you live, how the local
Read · 4 min
How to strengthen your housing register application with medical evidence
If you have a health condition that is made worse by your current housing, you may be able to apply for a higher priority band on the housing register. The
Read · 4 min
Housing First: what it is and who it is for
Housing First is an approach to tackling rough sleeping and entrenched homelessness that prioritises giving people a stable home immediately, without
Read · 3 min
Domestic abuse and rehousing: your housing priority rights
If you are fleeing domestic abuse, you have specific rights to emergency and permanent housing through the council. You do not have to stay in a dangerous
Read · 4 min
The Homelessness Reduction Act: the prevention duty explained
The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 introduced two main duties that councils owe to eligible people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless: the
Read · 3 min
Local connection and homelessness: what it means and when it matters
If you apply to a council as homeless, the council may consider your "local connection" to the area. Local connection is relevant in two situations: when the
Read · 3 min
Section 202 review: challenging a homelessness decision
If the council has decided you are not homeless, not in priority need, intentionally homeless, or does not owe you the full housing duty, you have the right
Read · 3 min
Priority need: pregnancy and homelessness
If you are pregnant and homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, you may have priority need for council housing. Read on for what priority need means during
Read · 3 min
Mutual exchange: swapping social housing tenancies
If you rent from a council or housing association and you want to move to a different home, a mutual exchange allows you to swap your tenancy with another
Read · 3 min
Out-of-area placement for homeless families: your rights
If your council cannot find suitable accommodation in the local area, it may offer you a home somewhere else. This is called an out-of-area placement. It is
Read · 4 min
Refusing a council housing offer: what happens and your rights
When the council offers you a home, whether from the housing register or as part of a homelessness duty, the decision to accept or refuse it is one of the
Read · 4 min
Priority need: how vulnerability is assessed
When you apply to the council as homeless, you will only be owed the full housing duty if the council decides you are in "priority need." For some groups,
Read · 4 min
Emergency housing: what to do if you are homeless tonight
If you have nowhere to sleep tonight, you need to know what help is available right now. Here is where to go, who to call, and what you can expect when you
Read · 3 min
Your homeless application has been refused: what to do next
If the council has refused your homeless application, or found that it does not owe you the main housing duty, you have rights to challenge that decision.
Read · 3 min
The main housing duty: what the council owes you if you are homeless
If you apply to the council as homeless and the council decides you meet the legal criteria, it owes you what is called the "main housing duty." This is the
Read · 3 min
Bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families: your rights
If you are homeless with children or are pregnant, the council may place you in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation while it assesses your application and
Read · 3 min
Choice-based lettings: how social housing is allocated
If you are homeless or living in unsuitable housing, you may be placed on a council housing waiting list. In most areas, social housing is allocated through
Read · 3 min
Duty to refer: how public bodies must help homeless people
The duty to refer is a legal requirement that certain public bodies must notify the local council when they come into contact with someone who is homeless or
Read · 3 min
Care leavers and housing: your rights when leaving the care system
Young people leaving the care system face particular challenges when it comes to housing. You will find out what support care leavers are entitled to, what
Read · 3 min
Sofa surfing: are you legally homeless and what help can you get?
"Sofa surfing" means staying temporarily with friends or family because you have no permanent home of your own. Many people in this situation do not realise
Read · 3 min
Intentional homelessness: what it means and how to challenge it
If you approach your local council for help with homelessness, one of the things they will consider is whether you made yourself homeless deliberately. This
Read · 3 min
Homelessness application: what happens after you apply
If you have applied to your local council as homeless, or are about to do so, it can feel like a very uncertain time. Here is what happens at each stage of a
Read · 4 min
Social housing transfer request: how to ask to move to a different property
If you are a council or housing association tenant and your current home is no longer suitable, because it is too small, too large, in the wrong area, or in
Read · 3 min
Housing register bands and priority: how councils decide who gets housed first
If you are on a council housing waiting list, you have likely been placed in a band. Understanding how bands work and what affects your priority can help you
Read · 3 min
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