Making a Homeless Application to the Council

You Can Ask for Help Today

If you are homeless, or at risk of losing your home within the next 56 days, you have a legal right to make a homeless application to your local council. You do not need a solicitor, a referral from a charity or a permanent address to start. Phone the housing options team, walk into the council office, or ask a support worker to call on your behalf. Under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, councils must assess your situation and work with you — even if they eventually decide they do not owe you a permanent home.

Many people are put off because they expect to be turned away at the door. Being turned away is not a decision. It is a first conversation, and you can insist that it becomes more.

Ask for a Written Assessment

The single most important thing you can do is ask, clearly, for a written assessment of your situation. Say the words: "I would like to make a homeless application, and I would like the assessment in writing."

Councils should then give you:

• A written record of the assessment and the reasons for their decisions
• A personalised housing plan setting out the steps you and the council will each take
• Written confirmation if they decide you are not eligible, not in priority need, or intentionally homeless

Ask for the name and job title of the officer you speak to, plus a reference or case number. Write them down before you leave the building or end the call. If a decision is given verbally, ask when the written version will follow and what to do if it does not arrive.

Gather Evidence of Your Situation

Decisions rest on evidence, so collect what you can, as early as you can. Even a handful of documents makes your case much harder to dismiss.

• Identity and status: passport, birth certificate, driving licence, Home Office letters, national insurance number, benefit award letters
• Your housing history: tenancy agreements, rent statements, notice to quit, eviction paperwork, mortgage arrears letters
• Why you have to leave: messages or letters from family or friends asking you to go, reports of harassment, domestic abuse records, medical evidence, police crime reference numbers
• Your connection to the area: proof of residence, children's school letters, GP registration, job details
• Your circumstances: medical letters, pregnancy confirmation, care leaver status, details of any disability or mental health condition

If you cannot get hold of something, say so and explain why. Councils can make enquiries on your behalf — for example, contacting a landlord or a hospital — but only if they know it is needed.

Keep Copies of Everything

Keep a copy of every document you hand over, and a note of who received it and when. Photos on your phone are fine. So is a dated list in a notebook. If you submit anything online, take a screenshot of the confirmation page.

A simple pattern works well: for each contact, record the date, the officer's name, what was said, and what you were promised. If you post something, pay for proof of posting or ask for a receipt. This record is valuable if you later need to challenge a decision, and it means you never have to rely on memory.

Never hand over your only original of anything important. Give copies and keep the originals safe — with a friend, at a day centre, or in a locked bag you keep with you.

What Happens After You Apply

The council will assess whether you are eligible for help, whether you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, whether you have a local connection, and whether you are in priority need. They may also consider whether you became homeless intentionally.

If they accept a duty, they must draw up a personalised housing plan and take reasonable steps to help you secure accommodation — for a minimum of 56 days under the prevention duty, or 56 days under the relief duty if you are already homeless. If you are in priority need, they should provide interim accommodation while they investigate.

Keep engaging with the plan. Missed appointments and unanswered letters are among the most common reasons cases stall or applications are closed.

If the Decision Goes Against You

You have the right to ask for a review of most decisions, including eligibility, priority need, intentional homelessness and local connection. You normally have 21 days from the date of the decision letter to request one. Ask for it in writing and keep proof of when you sent it.

You can also get free, independent advice from a local advice service or a housing charity. Ask them to look at your paperwork and help you draft the review. Do not wait until the deadline — the earlier the review is lodged, the sooner the council has to look again.

And if you are sleeping rough tonight, ask about emergency accommodation straight away. That request should not wait for the rest of the process to unfold.