Most people can get some help from the council's homeless team.

Sometimes the council has to find you somewhere to stay straight away.

You could get homeless help if you:

• do not have a home

• are at risk of domestic abuse or other violence in your home

• get asked to leave by friends or family

• get an eviction notice from your landlord

• cannot live in your home because of a disability or health problem

• have very bad housing conditions, like overcrowding, serious damp or disrepair

• cannot afford your rent or mortgage

If you have 'no recourse to public funds'

You can only get general advice from the council's homeless team if you do not meet immigration conditions.

More on help and options for:

• families with no recourse to public funds

• single people with no recourse to public funds

If you do not have a home

Ask the council for homeless help if you are:

• on the streets

• at a night shelter or an emergency hostel

• staying with different friends or family to avoid being on the streets

Staying with different people is sometimes called sofa surfing.

You can also ask for homeless help if you live in a caravan or on a boat and have nowhere to park or moor.

If you're at risk of domestic abuse or violence

You are homeless if you're at risk of domestic abuse or other violence in your home.

You can ask for homeless help even if you do not move out.

Domestic abuse is abuse from your partner, ex partner, or a family member. It can be:

• physical

• financial

• psychological or emotional

It can be domestic abuse even if you do not live together.

The council should not contact the person who has been violent or abusive towards you or do anything that could put you at risk.

If you're asked to leave by family or friends

Ask the council for help if your family or friends ask you to leave.

The council might ask your family or friend:

• if you can stay longer

• for a letter that says you must leave

If get an eviction notice from your landlord

Ask the council for advice as soon as your landlord gives you a notice to move out.

The council should check your eviction notice. They might say you should stay in your home until either:

• the court tells you to leave

• you are evicted by bailiffs

This is because the court could let you stay in your home.

The council should not tell you to wait to be evicted if your home is:

• not safe

• not affordable

• very overcrowded

If you are a lodger

Your landlord does not need a court order to evict you if you are a lodger.

The council should help if you're asked to leave in the next 8 weeks.

If you cannot live in your home because of a disability or health problem

Ask the council for help if you cannot live in your home because of a serious health problem or a disability.

This could be, for example, if you or someone you live with:

• uses a wheelchair and there are problems with access

• needs a separate bedroom for an overnight carer

If you live in overcrowded or bad housing conditions

You can ask the council for homeless help if your home:

• is very overcrowded

• puts you at serious risk because of poor conditions

You could ask your GP or other health professional to write to the council about how your housing conditions affect you. An environmental health report could also help.

If you cannot afford your rent or mortgage

You can ask for homeless help if you cannot pay for things like food, heating and travel to work or school after paying your rent or mortgage.

This might be because of a change in your situation. For example, your income has gone down or your rent has gone up.

Find out more about:

• council help if you cannot afford a suitable home

• how to deal with missed mortgage payments

If the homeless team will not help

The council must give you a letter that explains why you cannot get help.

You can ask for a review within 3 weeks if you think they have got things wrong.