If you're offered housing because you're homeless

If the council decide to offer you housing, they must give you somewhere to stay straight away.

The council might offer you different types of housing depending on your situation. This might be:

• emergency accommodation - sometimes called ‘interim accommodation’

• temporary accommodation

• long-term housing

Emergency accommodation should only last for a short time.  

Temporary accommodation usually lasts longer than emergency accommodation. If the council decide you meet the criteria for long-term housing, they might offer you temporary accommodation until the council can find you a long-term home.

If you’ve been offered emergency or temporary accommodation, the council should look after any belongings that you don’t have space for. 

You might be in your temporary accommodation for a long time. Ask your council how long the wait could be for a long-term home. Once you’re in temporary accommodation it might be quicker to look for private rented accommodation yourself.

If you’re offered a long-term home this will either be:

• a council or housing association home from their waiting list

• a home with a private landlord for at least 6 months

If you’re living in temporary accommodation it's important to keep to the terms of your occupation contract or licence agreement - if you don't, you could be evicted. This means the council might be able to end their duty to house you and not offer you another home.

If you’re evicted from emergency accommodation the council must continue to process your homeless application. If they decide you have the right to long-term housing, they must offer you temporary accommodation while they try to find it.

If you’re not happy with what you’ve been offered

If the housing isn’t suitable you can challenge the council’s decision. 

If the housing counts as suitable, you can ask the council if they can offer you something else - but they don’t have to.

Check if the housing you’ve been offered is suitable

It must be suitable for you and any family members who normally live with you. It also must be suitable for anyone who could be reasonably expected to live with you in the future. For example, a child who isn’t living with you because where you live isn’t suitable for a child. 

The council should offer you accommodation that is:

• affordable for you - they'll take into account any salary, benefits or pensions you get and any savings you have

• suitable for any medical needs you have - like the home should be on the ground floor or have a lift if you use a wheelchair 

• safe to live in - and you’re not at risk of violence there

The standard for suitable emergency housing is lower than temporary and long-term housing, but it must still be suitable. For example, you might need to share a kitchen or bathroom with other people.

The council might have offered you housing even if you’re not eligible for emergency, temporary or longer term housing. It must still be suitable for your needs.

If you have a child under 2 years old

The accommodation you’re offered should have enough room for a cot. If it doesn’t, you can ask the council to move you. If you don’t have a cot, you can ask the council to help you get one.

If you're offered accommodation in a hostel, bed and breakfast, or hotel

If you had to leave your home because of domestic abuse, you can tell the council if you don’t want to stay in mixed-sex accommodation. The council don’t have to offer you an alternative but they should consider your situation. 

If you have children or you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t usually have to stay in a bed and breakfast or hotel for more than 6 weeks. If you’re there for longer than this, you should ask the council to move you because it’s no longer suitable.

You might have to stay in a bed and breakfast or hotel for more than 6 weeks if you refused other suitable temporary accommodation. 

If you’re offered a home in a different area

If there isn’t enough housing in your area, the council might offer you something in a different area. They will consider your situation if they do. 

The council should usually think about: 

• where you were living before and how close the new home is to your old home

• if it’s near any places you need to visit regularly - for example, your workplace, your children’s school or a hospital you need to go to often

• if the location of the new home would put you at risk of violence

If the location would disrupt your day-to-day life a lot, you should tell the council - they might look at the offer again. 

If you’re moved to a different area, you might need to make changes - like moving your child to a new school. The council should consider if your child is in an exam year or has special educational needs.

The council should also think about if you can afford any transport costs for anywhere you’ll need to travel to, for example:

• schools

• shops

• medical facilities

• to keep in contact with your family, friends and support networks

If the housing you’ve been offered isn’t suitable

It's usually best to accept the offer and ask the council to review if the home is suitable. That way you’ll have somewhere to live while the review takes place. 

If you turn down an offer of housing your council thinks is suitable, they could refuse to find you more. This is because they might end their legal duty to find you a home. 

If you don’t think the housing you’ve been offered is suitable you can:

• ask your council to reconsider the offer if you thought it was suitable, but it’s not anymore

• challenge the decision - how you do this depends on if you’re offered temporary, long-term or emergency accommodation

If you think the temporary or long-term housing you’re offered is unsuitable you can check how to challenge the council’s homeless decision.

If you’ve been offered emergency accommodation you can’t ask for a review if it’s unsuitable. Talk to an adviser if you want to challenge the suitability of emergency accommodation.

If the council gave you a housing plan and you don't think they assessed your situation properly you should talk to an adviser.

If your situation changes in emergency or temporary accommodation

If your housing needs change, tell your council what’s happened as soon as you can. They’ll need to look at your situation to check if the home is still suitable for you. 

For example if you:

• become pregnant or have another child

• develop a new medical condition or your medical needs change 

• are being harassed where you live

It might affect what home the council offers you and whether it's suitable for your needs.