The following
FAQs explain what this authority might be able to do for you if you
are homeless. It is not a detailed or complete explanation of the
law.
Making a Homeless
Application to The City of London
If you approach the Housing Department as homeless or soon to be
homeless, we will carry a homelessness assessment as required under
The Housing Act 1996 Part VII and Homelessness Act 2002.
This assessment is to determine what assistance we can offer
you. In order to complete our assessment we need to know more about
you and your family. This may involve collecting information from
both yourself and other agencies.
Why is an assessment
needed?
The Council has duties laid down in legislation about how it
must respond to homeless applicants, the Council has a duty to find
a home for households who:
- Are 16/17 year olds who are not looked after by social services
or 18 – 21 who have come out of care
- Are a pregnant woman or someone with whom dependent children
usually live
- Are elderly
- Have a mental health problem or physical disability or other
special reason
- Are homeless as a result of a disaster such as flood or
fire
- Are vulnerable because of fleeing violence
- A person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a member
of her Majesties regular naval, military or air forces
- A person who is vulnerable as a result of having served a
custodial sentence
- A person who is vulnerable for any other special reason, or
with whom a person resides or might reasonably be expected to
reside.
Not everyone who has one of these problems will be accepted for
priority housing. It will depend on each person’s individual
circumstances.
What you can expect of
us?
If you come into the office to make a homeless application our
Housing Advice Officer will see you within 15 minutes.
Whilst we assess your application we will place you in temporary
accommodation immediately if required. We will take into
consideration any disability or long term health problems that you
have when we assess your homeless application. We have our own
medical advisor and you do not have to pay for reports from your
doctor. We will aim to assess your application within 28 days,
unless there are circumstances which require a longer period.
We offer help in completing application forms, ie benefit
forms
If English is not your first language we will use Language Line
for a translator. We offer an out of hours service if you need help
between the hours of 5.00pm and 9.00pm and at weekends.
What will be
expected of you?
We would like you to provide us with all information requested
of you to help with the assessment process. We would expect you to
provide your benefit details. When provided with temporary
accommodation we would expect you to pay rent charges keeping your
rent account up to date. We will give you a rent card to maintain
these payments.
What if I want to know
more?
This section on homelessness explains the help which can be
given to homeless people. Please ask if you need a further
explanation. You can contact us by phone on 020 7332 1654 / 1804 /
1237 / 3934 or by email on
housing.advice@cityoflondon.gov.uk.
If you want independent advice you can consult:
City of London Citizens Advice Bureau
32 Ludgate Hill
London
EC4M 7DR
020 7236 1156
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Who is homeless?
In most cases, homeless people are those who have nowhere to
stay or will have nowhere to stay within the next 28 days. You will
be considered to be homeless if:
- you have no accommodation in this country or anywhere else in
the world which you can occupy
- you have the right to live in a property but cannot enter it,
for example because you have been locked out unlawfully
- you have a moveable home, like a caravan, and have nowhere to
park it where you are allowed to live in it
- you have a home but because of exceptional circumstances we
consider that you cannot be expected to occupy it.
- you are living separately from someone in your family with whom
you normally live, because you have nowhere to live together
- you have a home, but fear domestic violence or other
violence
Not everyone will get help if they are homeless but, everyone
has the right to at least advice and information to prevent their
homelessness, if possible, or to help them find their own
accommodation. Some applicants have the right to extra help. If you
are:
- 16/17 year olds whom are not looked after by social services or
18 – 21 who have come out of care
- a pregnant woman or someone with whom dependent children
usually live
- elderly
- have a mental health problem or physical disability or other
special reason
- homeless as a result of a disaster such as flood or fire
- vulnerable because of fleeing violence
- a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a
member of Her Majesty's regular naval, military or air forces
- a person who is vulnerable as a result of having served a
custodial sentence
- a person who is vulnerable for any other special reason or
with whom a person resides or might reasonably be expected to
reside
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Whom should I see?
If you are going to become homeless you can speak to
the Housing Office by calling 020 7332 1804 / 1654 / 3934 /
1237. The Housing Officer you speak to will arrange an appointment
if necessary.
If you are homeless either that day or within 24 hours, you will
be given a form to fill in and we will assess your circumstances
the same day.
What will happen next?
We will interview you and ask you detailed questions about your
current and previous housing. You will also be asked about your
personal circumstances, such as whether you are pregnant or have
care of children, or suffer from any serious health problem. We
will need to see certain proof of your circumstances and will make
checks to confirm what you tell us. All this information will be
recorded and used to decide what type of help the Council can give
you.
If possible, a Housing Advice Officer will help you defend your
right to stay in your current home. If you are threatened with
homelessness, your application on the Housing Register will be
given a higher priority and you will stand more chance of getting
an offer before you become homeless.
What help can
the Authority give me?
A - Applicants who have lived outside the
UK
Changes in the law have limited the help that the Authority
can give some applicants if they do not usually live in the UK, or
if they are subject to immigration control. Because of
this, Authority officers must now ask questions about each
applicant’s immigration status and their residence in this
country.
- Whatever your nationality, if you have lived outside the United
Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle
of Man, you may not have a right to extra help, unless exceptions
given in Government regulations apply.
- If you are not a British citizen or a citizen of a country that
is a member of the European Union, you may not be entitled to any
extra help, unless exceptions given in Government regulations
apply.
The people in these categories are known as "ineligible for
assistance". The help that the Authority is allowed to give
them is limited to advice and information to prevent their
homelessness or to help them find their own accommodation. In some
cases the Social Services Department may be able to provide some
extra help.
B - No priority need
If you are assessed as homeless and eligible for assistance and
you are:
- 16/17 year olds who are not looked after by social services or
18 – 21 who have come out of care
- a pregnant woman or someone with whom dependent children
usually live
- elderly
- have a mental health problem or physical disability or other
special reason
- homeless as a result of a disaster such as flood or fire
- vulnerable because of fleeing violence
- a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a
member of her Majesties regular naval, military or air forces
- a person who is vulnerable as a result of having served a
custodial sentence
- a person who is vulnerable for any other special reason, or
with whom a person resides or might reasonably be expected to
reside
You may not have a priority need. The Authority will
not be able to provide you with emergency housing. Instead, you
will get advice and assistance to help you to find your own
accommodation privately. For example, we will give you an
information pack to help you find somewhere to live (the Find a
Home Pack) and you will be able to use a free phone to help you
find a vacancy in a local bed & breakfast or hostel. You may
have a right to apply for housing on the Housing Register.
Please ask at Housing Reception for a Find a Home Pack and a
Housing Application Form. Remember, there is no duty to make sure
that you obtain private accommodation; only to give you information
on where to look for accommodation. If you need further help to
find accommodation, please ask to see a Housing Advice Officer.
C - Priority need
If you are assessed as homeless and eligible for assistance and
your personal circumstances fit any of the priority need groups
listed below We may have to offer you Bed and Breakfast for a
period while we decide if you are entitled to accommodation.
You have a priority need for accommodation if you are:
- 16/17 years old and are not looked after by social
services or 18 – 21 who have come out of care
- a pregnant woman or someone with whom dependent children
usually live
- elderly
- have a mental health problem or physical disability or other
special reason
- homeless as a result of a disaster such as flood or fire
- vulnerable because of fleeing violence
- a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a member
of Her Majesty's regular naval, military or air forces
- a person who is vulnerable as a result of having served a
custodial sentence
- a person who is vulnerable for any other special reason, or
with whom a person resides or might reasonably be expected to
reside
What does
"intentionally homeless" mean?
The Council may decide that you are intentionally homeless
if:
- you have deliberately given up a home that you could have
stayed in or lost it through your own fault
- you have failed to use advice and assistance that was given to
you to help you prevent the loss of your home
- the Council considered that suitable alternative housing was
available for you in the city and gave you advice and assistance to
help you obtain it, but you unreasonably failed to take up the
accommodation
If it is decided that you are intentionally homeless, the
Council will not arrange housing for you, even if you have
dependent children. Instead, you will be offered advice and
assistance to help you find your own housing and we may provide
accommodation for a short period so that you can make use of that
advice.
What help can I expect with
housing if I have no connection with the Square Mile?
If your homeless application is accepted because you are
eligible for help, are homeless unintentionally and have a priority
need, but you have no recognised connection with the City, your
application may be passed to the council where you do have a
connection.
A local connection is based on:
- how long you have lived in the borough
- current permanent work in the borough
- close relatives living in the borough for a long time
- any special circumstances which need to be taken into
account
If I have a connection with the City of London?
If your homeless application is accepted and you have a local
connection with the City we will offer you permanent accommodation.
How quickly we will do this will depend on the number of people on
the list with the same priority as you or higher and the number of
empty homes we get.
Please understand that the Council will provide as much help as it
can, but that we are restricted by the law in what we can do.
Documents you should
bring if you are going to apply as homeless
If you are going to apply to the Council for housing because you
are homeless, please bring the following documents to your
interview:
- Proof of your identity: your birth certificate; passport; a
document confirming your National Insurance number.
- Details of your income: your Child Benefit payment book;
details of any savings you have such as your latest bank statement,
Building Society book, Post Office Savings book, etc.
- if you are employed, your last 5 weeks’ payslips (or your
last two months’ salary slips).
- If you haven’t kept these, you will need a letter from your
employer giving your gross pay over the last 5 weeks
- if you are unemployed or retired, your payment book. If you are
unemployed and are signing on, bring with you the form showing the
amount you receive weekly.
- If you have children, full birth certificates
for any children under the age of five who are included in
your application for housing and either full or short birth
certificates for any children over five. Please bring any divorce
or separation papers which show arrangements concerning the
children.
- If you are pregnant, your Maternity
Certificate or hospital notes
- If you have been renting your home, the
tenancy agreement that you were given at the start of the tenancy
and any contract that you were given later; if no contract was
given, a rent book or a letter from your landlord confirming the
tenancy; and any notice that your landlord gave you, either before
or during the term of the tenancy, including any notice to leave
your home.
- If your home is to be sold, confirmation from
your solicitor of the sale of the property, specifying the value of
the home, the amount of mortgage still to be paid, and the amount
of capital you will receive once it has been sold.
- If legal action is being taken to repossess your
home, the Court Summons for Possession, with details of
the Application for Possession, the Court Order for Possession, and
the Bailiff’s Warrant for Possession, if applicable.
- If the Home Office is dealing with, or has dealt with,
an application from you to stay in this country,
letters from the Immigration and Nationality Department confirming
this, or a letter notifying you of the decision on your
application, if applicable.
Reveiw of decisions
Download a review of decisions concerning the
Housing Register or Homelessness (40 kb)
-
Homelessness - advice
and support
- This service provides information and advice about housing to
people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They may
be offered temporary accommodation or permanent
home.