Homeless help from the council
Who can get homeless help?
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:
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
'sofa surfing' or staying with different friends or family for a short time
You can also ask for homeless help if you live in a caravan or on a boat and have nowhere to park or moor.
More on help if you're on the streets.
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.
Find out about emergency housing if you're at risk of domestic abuse.
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 your landlord gives you an eviction notice
Ask the council for advice as soon as your landlord gives you a notice.
The council can check if your notice is valid.
Section 8 notices from private landlords
You are at risk of homelessness if both:
your landlord gives you a valid section 8
the notice ends in the next 8 weeks or less
More on section 8 eviction notices.
Section 21 notices from private landlords
Your council must help you if you could become homeless in 8 weeks or less because your private landlord gave you a valid section 21 notice.
Most section 21 notices from private landlords given on or after 1 May 2026 are not valid.
But a section 21 notice given before 1 May 2026 could be valid. That might change if your landlord does not apply to court by 31 July 2026.
Your landlord might be able to give you a section 21 after 1 May 2026 in very limited situations. For example, if you got a valid section 8 notice before 1 May and then your landlord gives you a valid section 21 after this date.
More on section 21 eviction notices.
Notices from a housing association or council
Your housing association could give you a valid section 21 notice if you are an assured shorthold tenant (AST). For example, if you have a starter tenancy.
You are at risk of homelessness if the section 21 notice ends in 8 weeks or less.
More on eviction of housing association starter tenants.
Your council must help you if you get a different notice, for example a section 8 notice from a housing association. They must help even if you are a council tenant.
More on eviction of council and housing association tenants.
Can the council tell you to stay in your home?
The council should look into your situation and give you a personal housing plan.
The council might say you should stay in your home until either:
a court tells you to leave
bailiffs come to evict you
This is because you have the right to stay until bailiffs come.
The council could say you are intentionally homeless if you leave when it is reasonable to stay. For example, if the court might have let you stay.
The council should not tell you to wait to be evicted if it is not reasonable for you to stay.
For example, if your home is:
not safe
not affordable
very overcrowded
Find out what to do if the council will not help.
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.
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
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.
Serious damp or mould in a social tenancy
Your council or housing association might have to give you free temporary housing while they fix a serious damp problem that puts your health at risk.
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:
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.
Shelter and Mencap have an easy read guide on your rights if councils will not help.
Last updated: 1 May 2026
