Frightened about losing your home? You have rights — and the council may have to help.

Homelessness in the UK doesn't only mean rough sleeping. The law treats you as homeless — or threatened with homelessness — if you have no home you have a legal right to stay in, if it isn't reasonable for you to stay (for example because of violence, overcrowding or serious disrepair), or if you're going to lose it soon. Sofa-surfing, staying in a hostel, or being asked to leave by family all count. If any of that is you, your council's housing options team is the place to start.

The three duties your council owes you

In England, your council's duties are set out in the Housing Act 1996 Part 7, strengthened by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. Whoever you are, if you're eligible and homeless or threatened with homelessness, the council must assess you and draw up a written Personalised Housing Plan with you. On top of that, there are three stages of duty:

The crucial point: even if you are not found to be in priority need at the end, you are still owed the prevention and relief duties — an assessment, a plan, advice and reasonable steps to help you find somewhere. Nobody eligible is simply turned away.

What “priority need” means

“Priority need” matters for two things: whether the council must secure longer-term accommodation for you under the main housing duty, and whether you get emergency accommodation while they assess you. In England and Wales you're more likely to be in priority need if you fall into one of these groups:

• You have dependent children living with you, or you're pregnant;
• You're vulnerable — for example through old age, physical disability, mental illness or learning disability, or having fled domestic abuse;
• You're a young care leaver or were in care, or are aged 16–17;
• You've become homeless because of an emergency such as a fire or flood.

This isn't the full list, and being “vulnerable” is judged on your circumstances — so always ask. And remember: if you're not found to be in priority need, the council still owes you help under the prevention and relief duties. (In Scotland, the priority need test has been abolished entirely — see the section below.)

Emergency accommodation while they assess you

You may not have to wait for the full assessment before you get a roof over your head. The council has an interim duty to accommodate you if it has reason to believe that you:

• may be homeless;
• are eligible for help (this depends on your UK residence and immigration status); and
• may be in priority need.

If all three may apply, the council must provide emergency (interim) accommodation — often a B&B, hostel or other temporary place — while it investigates your case. This is a lower test than the final decision: the council only needs “reason to believe”, not certainty. So if you have nowhere to stay tonight and you think you might be in priority need, ask for interim accommodation directly and don't be put off.

How to apply to the council

You apply to the council for the area you're in (or have a connection to). The team is usually called housing options or the homelessness team. You can normally apply:

• Online — search your council's name plus “homeless” or “housing options”, and there's usually a form;
• By phone — the council's housing line in office hours, or its out-of-hours emergency line evenings and weekends;
• In person — at the council's housing office or one-stop shop.

When you apply, it helps to have ready (but don't wait for them if you don't):

• Any eviction notice, court papers or landlord letter;
• ID and proof of who lives with you (children, partner);
• Details of any health conditions, disability or vulnerability, and any benefits you get;
• Anything showing your local connection (where you live, work, or have family).

You don't need to know which “duty” applies — the council works that out. Your job is simply to ask for help, explain your situation honestly, and keep a record of what's said and decided.

Nowhere to stay tonight

If you have nowhere safe to go right now, here is the calm, free order to work through:

Domestic abuse: if you're homeless because you've fled or need to flee violence, you're likely to be in priority need — tell the council and call the free, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 (run by Refuge).

Do this right now

However bad it feels, there is a clear, free path through. In order:

1. Apply to the council today. Don't wait for the eviction date — ask your council's housing options team for help as soon as you're threatened with homelessness.
2. Get free advice. Call Shelter on 0808 800 4444 or your local Citizens Advice — both are free and confidential, and can help you push for what you're owed.
3. Ask for emergency accommodation if you may be in priority need and have nowhere to stay — and ask for any refusal in writing.
4. Keep everything. Your eviction notice, letters, emails and the names of who you speak to — you may need them if you have to ask for a review.

For the rules in full, see GOV.UK — homelessness help from the council and Shelter's homelessness advice. If you've had an eviction notice and want to understand it first, see our guide to an eviction notice.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Housing is devolved, so the rules differ across the UK — but in every nation the first step is the same: ask the council (or the Housing Executive in NI) for help as soon as you can.