Looking for accommodation
If you are looking for accommodation you might find it useful to collect:-
- lists of hostels, bed and breakfast hotels and emergency accommodation
- lists of accommodation agencies
- addresses of local housing associations and housing cooperatives
- advice on approaching the local authority as a homeless person
- the addresses of refuges for women in violent relationships
- information on local housing available for people with special needs.
If you are looking for accommodation, you may be able to get this sort of help from a local authority housing advice centre. You can find the address of your nearest centre in the local telephone directory or from a Citizen’s Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB
Help for homeless people
Local authorities have a legal duty to provide help to certain people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. You will qualify for help if you are 'eligible for assistance', legally homeless or threatened with homelessness, in priority need and not intentionally homeless. The local authority may also investigate whether you have a local connection with the area.
Local social services authorities also have responsibility for some homeless people. They have a duty to provide accommodation for children and young people over 16 who are leaving care, or who are in need for other reasons.
Eligible for assistance
Certain people who arrive in this country, or who are returning from a period living abroad do not qualify for housing under homelessness laws. For example, many asylum-seekers (but not all) are excluded, as is someone who has spent significant time living away from the UK even if they are a UK citizen.
The rules on eligibility are complex and if you are arriving in or returning to the UK, you should seek specialist advice at, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Homeless or threatened with homelessness
You will be considered legally homeless if you have no accommodation which is available and reasonable for you and your household to live in. This includes accommodation in another country. You will also be homeless if you have accommodation but cannot get into it. For example, if you have somewhere to stay with friends or relatives but have been asked to leave, or you are at risk of violence in your home. You will be considered to be threatened with homelessness, if you are likely to be homeless within 28 days (in Scotland, two months).
Priority need
You will be counted as in 'priority need' for housing if you are homeless and:-
- you are pregnant
- you have dependent children under 16, or under 19 if they are in full- time education
- you are homeless because of an emergency such as a flood or a fire
- you are aged 16 or 17 (this does not apply in Northern Ireland)
You may also be in priority need if you fall into one of the following groups. In some cases, you may have to show that your situation has made you vulnerable:-
- you are elderly, or have a physical or mental illness or disability
- you are over 18 but at risk of exploitation or have been in care
- you are at risk of domestic violence or other threats of violence
- you are homeless after leaving hospital, prison or the armed forces.
The groups of people who are in priority need are different depending on whether you live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. If you think you fall into a priority need group you can check this with a specialist adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by E-mail, click on nearest CAB.
Intentionally homeless
You may be considered 'intentionally homeless' if you have deliberately done something which has made you lose your home. However, the definition of intentionally homeless is complicated and a decision made by your local authority can often be successfully challenged. For example, if you have become homeless because of rent or mortgage arrears you should not automatically be considered to be intentionally homeless. The local authority must look at each case individually. If you lost your home because of genuine financial problems you will not be homeless through your own fault.
Local connection
The local authority may refuse to accept responsibility if it thinks that you have no connection with the area where you are looking for help with housing. You would usually be expected to live, work or have family links to have a local connection. In this situation, you may be referred to an area where you do have a connection.
What action must the local authority take
IIf the local authority needs time to carry out enquiries (and if it seems that you are homeless and in priority need), it must make sure you have somewhere to live while it investigates your situation.
If you qualify as homeless, the local authority will have to help you. It does not have to provide accommodation from its own properties. It can house you in various ways, for example, by referring you to a housing association, or arranging accommodation with a private landlord.
If the local authority decides that you are not homeless, it does not have any duties to arrange long-term accommodation for you. However, it will have some duties to help you, and must provide advice and assistance in finding accommodation, or provide a temporary place to stay while you find a permanent home.
Local authority accommodation
If you are looking for local authority accommodation you should first check whether you qualify. Many people from abroad, for example, most asylum seekers and people who have spent significant time living away from the UK - even if they are UK citizens - do not qualify for housing.
The rules on who can qualify for local authority housing are complicated, especially if you have just arrived in, or returned to the UK from abroad. If you are in this situation, you should seek advice, for example from a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB including those that can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB.
Housing registers and waiting lists
Most local authorities have a housing register or waiting list of people who have applied to rent local authority accommodation. This is usually the only way you can apply for local authority accommodation.
Local authorities use different systems to give priority to applicants on their waiting lists. How priorities are allocated varies from one local authority to another, but factors normally taken into account will be:-
- poor health made worse by housing conditions
- lack of, or shared use of some facility, for example a bathroom or toilet
- an inadequate number of bedrooms for the size of your family
- length of time you have lived in the area
- age (where access to sheltered or warden supported accommodation is under consideration)
- length of time on the waiting list
- separation from your family (including a family which is overseas) because of inadequate accommodation
- homelessness - see under heading help for homeless people.
Once accepted on a local authority waiting list, you may have to wait a long time before you are offered accommodation. Your local authority should be able to give you a rough idea of how long you will have to wait. You should make sure that you keep the local authority informed of any changes likely to affect your application, for example, changes in the numbers and/or ages of your children. You may also have to renew your application regularly.
Completing an application to go on the local authority waiting list can be complicated. You may want to get help from an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB including those who can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB.
When you are made an offer, it may be accommodation owned by the local authority, or by a housing association. In an area where the local authority's housing has all been transferred to a housing association, this may be the only option offered.
You will usually only be able to turn the offer down if it is unsuitable for your needs, for example, if you are disabled and there is no lift. However, there is usually a limit to the number of offers a local authority will make.
Housing associations
Housing associations are 'not-for-profit' organisations that provide housing for rent. There are many housing associations providing a range of accommodation. Some provide housing for certain types of people, for example, single parents or disabled people. Others provide general housing in the same way as a local authority.
Only some housing associations accept direct applications. Most require you to be nominated by the local authority, which means that you will need to apply to go on the local authority waiting list and ask to be nominated – see under heading Local_authority_accommodation. Where a housing association does not insist on this, it may require that you are nominated by a local agency, for example, an advice agency or the social services department. If a housing association does accept direct applications, the criteria each has for selecting tenants will vary.
In some areas the housing associations and local authority have joint waiting lists. This means you can register with the local authority, and housing associations, on the same form.
If you are seeking accommodation from a registered social landlord you may want to obtain more information from an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
HOMES
Homes runs a number of national schemes which help people who want to move from one part of the UK to another. For details of all the schemes run by HOMES, visit their website - see under heading Further help.
Homes mobility scheme
This is a scheme which allows a local authority or housing association to nominate a tenant, or someone on its waiting list, to another local authority or housing association. If you are a local authority or housing association tenant, your landlord can decide to do this without asking you, but you can also ask to be nominated, and can check the progress of your nomination regularly.
You can ask to be nominated if:-
- you need to move into another area to take up a new job
- you need to be nearer to friends or relatives so that you can give them support, or because you need support from them
- you have other special reasons, for example if you have been a victim of domestic violence or racial harassment.
If you want to apply for the HOMES mobility scheme, you should contact your housing officer, explaining your reasons for wanting to move and saying where you want to move to.
Homeswap
The homeswap scheme is designed to help local authority and housing association tenants exchange their home for another local authority or housing association home. You can register your details on a computer database, to be matched up with a tenant in the area where you want to move. You can also view a copy of the HOMESWAP register at your housing office, and contact any tenant on it who is looking for an exchange.
The right to buy
If you have been a local authority tenant for at least two years (not necessarily in your present accommodation), you will usually have the right to buy your home at a discounted price. In Northern Ireland, this is called the Statutory House Sales Scheme.
Some tenants of housing associations in England and Wales also have the right to buy their homes. This is called the 'right to acquire'.
Shared ownership
Shared ownership schemes are intended to help people who cannot afford to buy a suitable home in any other way. A local authority or housing association will buy a property on your behalf. You pay rent to the local authority or housing association for part of the property and a mortgage on the rest. You will usually be able to buy further shares in the property at a later date.
To qualify for the scheme you must usually be a first time buyer, and priority is given to local authority or housing association tenants. Other people in housing need may also be considered for the scheme. You must be able to get your own mortgage to meet the purchase costs on a percentage of the property.
In Wales, the shared ownership scheme is no longer available to new purchasers.
In Scotland, shared ownership schemes are sometimes known as joint venture schemes. In Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Co-Ownership Housing Association runs a similar scheme, called the co-ownership scheme.
More information about shared ownership is available from the Housing Corporation (Communities Scotland in Scotland), local authorities or housing associations - see under heading Further help.
Homebuy
Homebuy is a scheme offered by housing associations in England and Wales to help you buy a home on the open market. The scheme is available to local authority and housing association tenants, and to some other people in housing need. Help is limited to people who would not be able to buy a home without help from the scheme.
In England, if you are accepted onto the scheme you must be able to get a mortgage for 75% of the purchase price of the property. The housing association will lend you the remaining 25% of the purchase price. You will need to repay the loan when the property is sold. The amount of money you will need to repay is 25% of the value of the property when it is sold. If the property has increased in value, this will mean that the amount that you repay will be larger than the amount that you initially borrowed.
In Wales, you will usually need to get a mortgage for 70% cent of the purchase price, and the housing association will lend you the remaining 30%. However, in some rural areas, the percentages are 50% and 50%.
If you are interested in Homebuy, you should contact your local housing association
Homestake
If you live in Scotland and are on a low income, you may be able to get help to buy your own home through Homestake.Homestake is a scheme offered by housing associations in Scotland. Help is limited to people who would not be able to buy a home without help from the scheme.
If you are accepted onto the scheme, you will usually have to get a mortgage for 60% to 80% of the purchase price. The housing association will fund the remaining 20% to 40%. If you want to sell the property, the housing association will get its share back. For example, if the housing association funded 20% of the purchase price, it will get 20% of the sale price.
You can find out more about Homestake from your local housing association, or from Communities Scotland at Communities Scotland.
Accommodation agencies
An accommodation agency may be able to help you find accommodation owned by a private landlord. If you register with an agency you will be asked the type of property you are looking for and how much rent you are willing to pay. You will normally be asked to give details of your job and income, and may also be asked to provide references from your employer, bank, and present or previous landlord.
What an accommodation agency can charge for
When you register with an accommodation agency, it is only legally allowed to charge a fee when it finds you somewhere to live. Once you have signed a contract to accept the tenancy of a property, the fee the agency can charge is unlimited. As part of their fees, some agencies are allowed to include an administrative charge for preparing a tenancy agreement, making an inventory, and other costs of setting up a tenancy agreement.
What an accommodation agency cannot charge for
It is against the law for an agency to ask for payment for:-
- putting your name on its list or taking your details
- providing a list of properties available for renting
- a deposit which will be returned if no suitable accommodation is found.
An agency offers accommodation
If you are offered accommodation by an agency, you should inspect the property before accepting it and ensure you have full details about:-
- the terms of the tenancy agreement
- the amount of rent you will have to pay, and whether it includes any services, fuel and water charges
- how much rent you will have to pay in advance
- whether you will have to pay a premium and/or a security deposit and, if so, how much - see under heading Deposits and premiums
- whether the property has a mortgage. You can lose your accommodation if the property is repossessed due to the landlord's failure to keep up mortgage payments
- the name and address of the landlord.
Where possible, you should use an agency which has signed up to the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS). Agencies belonging to this scheme have agreed to follow a set of standards which include a complaints procedure.
Organisations which belong to this scheme include the National Association of Estate Agents, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). These organisations will insist that member agencies keep deposits paid by tenants in a separate 'client account'.
Discrimination by an accommodation agency
An accommodation agency can refuse to register you. It may do this, for example, because:-
- you are unemployed
- you are on benefits
- you are looking for accommodation for a family
- of your sexual orientation.
If you experience discrimination for any of these reasons, you may be able to take action under human rights law. You should seek specialist advice.
In most circumstances, it is illegal for an accommodation agency to discriminate on grounds of disability, race or gender, even where a landlord has said that they do not want a tenant of a particular race or gender, or with a disability. The only exception to this rule, is where a landlord rents out a small property and lives on the premises, sharing some of the accommodation with their tenants.
If you think you have been discriminated against by an accommodation agency for any reason, you should talk to an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB.
Deposits and premiums
There are two types of deposit that you may be asked to pay by a landlord or an accommodation agency acting on your behalf. They are a holding deposit and a security deposit.
Holding deposits
A holding deposit is money a landlord or accommodation agency asks you to pay when you agree to rent a property but have not yet taken up the tenancy. This deposit will probably be deducted from the security deposit you pay when you move into the property (see under Security deposits).
Before making any payment, you should be sure you want to take up the tenancy as a holding deposit cannot be returned unless you are unable to move in for reasons beyond your control. Examples of this are if the landlord asks for more rent than was originally agreed, or the accommodation is not ready on the date the tenancy is due to begin.
If you cannot get a holding deposit back although you have a good reason not to take up a tenancy you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizen’s Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Security deposits
A security deposit is money paid to a landlord (or an accommodation agency acting on their behalf) as security against, for example, rent arrears, damage to property or removal of furniture.
If you are asked to pay a security deposit you should check the condition of the property and its contents carefully. This is because, when the tenancy ends, you may be held responsible for anything which is missing or damaged, and may lose all or some of your deposit.
When a tenancy ends, the security deposit should be returned to you. It is reasonable for deductions to be made to cover, for example, damage to the property or furniture, missing items listed on the inventory, or outstanding rent you owe.
If the deposit is not returned promptly, or there is a dispute about the amount withheld, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Premiums
In England and Wales, a landlord can charge you a premium, or ‘key money’ for granting a tenancy. There is no limit on what can be asked by a landlord. If the amount appears unreasonable, you have no choice other than not to take the accommodation.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, it is illegal to charge premium or 'key money'. Any payment made in this situation can be recovered and the landlord can be fined.
Rent deposit guarantee schemes
Some local authorities, housing associations and charities offer loans to pay a deposit of a month’s rent on a private flat. Most schemes operate by lending the rent in advance, which you repay to the scheme. This may be through housing benefit. Most schemes guarantee to pay for any damage to the accommodation at the end of the tenancy.
