Sample letters
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland
Shelter's sample letters are downloaded as Word (RTF) documents. This means you can save them to your computer, add your own information and make any necessary changes before printing them out.
Make sure you fill in all the 'blanks' (eg names and addresses), which are indicated in red. Some of the letters may require you to describe your own situation in detail. If you need help with this, talk to an adviser at a Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice Bureau. Use our directory to find help in your local area.
Claiming housing benefit
Requesting backdated housing benefit
If you want to ask for your benefit to be backdated, you will need to state this when you fill in your housing or council tax benefit claim form. You will also have to include a letter or statement with your form, which states the reasons that you could not have claimed any earlier. Enclose any evidence you have to back this up.
Housing benefit backdate request letter
Requesting a statement of reasons
When the housing benefit department has made a decision about your claim, they send you a letter to let you know. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask the housing benefit department to provide an explanation in writing, called a statement of reasons.
Changing your circumstances
If your circumstances change, this may affect the amount of benefit you receive. Use this sample letter to notify the housing or council tax benefit department immediately.
Change of circumstances letter
Requesting housing benefit for two homes
Normally you can only get housing benefit for one home at a time. However there are special circumstances where it may be possible to have housing benefit paid for more than one home. Payments for two homes are not given automatically, so you will have to write to your housing benefit department and ask.
Getting repairs done
Reporting repairs
If your rented home needs repairs carried out, it's always best to report the problem to your landlord in writing. If the problem is urgent, you may wish to phone them as well.
Complaining about repair work not done
If your landlord does not carry out the repairs, you can write to them again, explaining that if repairs are not carried out within a certain time frame, you will take further action.
Letter complaining of repairs not done
The action you can take will depend on the nature of the repairs needed and what sort of tenancy you have. If you rent privately, your landlord may try to evict you rather than do the repairs. So always consider the risks and talk to an adviser before you take action!
Warning your landlord that you're contacting the council
If the state of your home is affecting your health, the environmental health department of your local council may be able to help you take action. Before contacting them, write to your landlord to let them know - this may spur them into action. Remember that council tenants do not have this option.
Letter to send before contacting environmental health
Doing repairs yourself
If your landlord is refusing to carry out repairs or is being unreasonably slow in getting the work done, you might be able to do the repairs yourself and pay for them out of the rent. However, this is very risky as you may put yourself at risk of eviction. Always get help from a specialist housing adviser before you decide to take action in this way.
Even if you have very strong tenancy rights, you must follow the correct procedureand send all four of the following separate letters in order:
- Use letter 1 to explain that you are going to do the work yourself unless the repairs are done within a reasonable time.
- Use letter 2 to send your landlord quotations for doing the work from three reputable contractors. Explain that you are going to go ahead with the cheapest quote unless your landlord arranges for the repairs to be done within a certain time.
- You'll need to pay for the work yourself and send your landlord the receipt. Use letter 3 to enclose a copy of the receipt from the cheapest contractor and ask for your money back
- If your landlord does not give you back the money, use letter 4 to explain that you are going to deduct the money from your future rent. You must have sent the first three letters before you attempt to do this.
Getting your deposit back
From 6 April 2007, when you pay a tenancy deposit for an assured shorthold tenancy, the landlord or letting agent must protect your deposit through a Government-backed tenancy deposit scheme.
If you paid your deposit before 6 April 2007, and you think your landlord is keeping it unfairly you may have to negotiate, or take them to court to get your money back. We have three sample letters which may help with this:
- First, use our letter requesting a breakdown of costs to ask why all or part of your deposit has been withheld. Your landlord or letting agent should give you reasons for refusing or delaying the return of your deposit when you move out of a rented property. If they don't, you can write to ask for an explanation and a breakdown of specific expenses.
- Next, use our letter disputing the amount of the deposit to explain why you think all or part of the deposit should be returned and warning that you will take court action if necessary
- Finally, if your landlord or letting agent still refuses to return the money, send a 'letter before action' with a completed copy of the relevant court form (form N1 - you can download this from the Court Service website).
Applying as homeless
Making an application
Adapt the wording of this sample letter to make your application.
Homelessness application letter
To get an idea of how the council might have to help you, you should also use our free online assessment.
Requesting a review
You can use this letter to request a review if you disagree with a decision the council has made about your homelessness application. This can normally only be done within 21 days of the date you received the letter telling you about the decision
If you want to request a review you should get help from a specialist adviser about how to put your case across. The law is very complicated, so use our directory to find an advice centre in your area that can help.
