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Homelessness Legal Help

People become homeless due to no fault of their own.

Sometimes, they are forced to sleep on the streets, seek shelter in the parks, bus stops and charity organisations. 

You are legally homeless if;

  • You have been unlawfully evicted from your home i.e. your landlord has changed the locks
  • You cannot continue to live in your home because you are at risk of violence or abuse i.e. where death threats have been made.
  • You are living in poor conditions i.e. serious Disrepairs or in overcrowding conditions.
  • You have no accommodation available to you.

If you are homeless and in priority need, the council must help you and secure accommodation for you.

The amount of help the council must provide depends on whether:

  • you became homeless through no fault of your own
  • you are eligible for assistance
  • you are in priority need

You are in priority need if:

  • you or someone you live with is pregnant
  • you have dependent children who would normally live with you (under 16 or under 19 if they are  studying full-time)
  • you are vulnerable due to old age or disability
  • you are homeless after a flood, fire or other disaster

The legislation concerning Homelessness is very complex and challenging. On many occasions the council will not help you where they are legally required to. They may make decisions which are legally wrong to avoid taking any responsibility to re-house you, whether it be on a temporary or permanent basis.

This is where we come in. We can help you challenge their decisions by preparing your request for reviews and if their decision remains the same, we will assist you in bringing an appeal in the county court, if there are merits in doing so. You need to be aware that there are strict time limits of 21 days (from the date of decision) to challenge the Council’s decision.

If you are at risk of becoming street homeless, then we can help you force the Council to house you into suitable accommodation even, if it means working out of office hours and late at night.

It is therefore important that you seek legal advice as soon as you receive a decision letter from the Council or when the Council refuse to help you, after you have presented yourself homeless.

Legal Aid is still available to challenge homeless decisions. If you would like advise and assistance about your case then please contact our Housing Team on 0151 227 1429.