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Housing Advice on Homelessness
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If you have nowhere to live now, or if you think you are going to lose your home, the Council may be able to help you.
If you are having problems keeping you home because of difficulties in paying your rent or mortage or you are unsure of your rights, you can contact Rehousing. Our advice is free and by giving you the right advice or referring you to Shelter, we may be able to keep you in your home.
 Housing Advice on Homelessness
Homelessness Handbook
Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme
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Homelessness and Your Rights |
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If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness the Council
may have a duty to provide help under the Housing Act 1996.
This information is only intended to be a guide to the law.
If you have any questions about the following information
please contact Rehousing on 01727 819408.
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Threatened with Homelessness |
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The law says that you are homeless if:-
- You have nowhere to live
- Your landlord or mortgage lender has taken you to court
and has said you must leave
- You have been living with friends or relatives and they
have asked you to leave
- You cannot return to your home because of violence or
threats of violence from someone you are associated with
- Your home is unfit for habitation owing to its condition
or lack of services (i.e. no heating, hot water, etc)
A person is said to be 'threatened with homelessness' if
he or she is likely to become homeless within 28 days.
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What the Council can do |
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The Council must provide assistance and advice to anyone
who applies claiming to be homeless. How much help we can
give is dependent on your situation. This does not necessarily
mean that we have to provide you with accommodation.
Firstly, we will look at the following 3 facts:
- Are you eligible for our assistance?
- Are you homeless, or likely to lose your rights to your
home within 28 days?
- Are you in priority need, as defined by the law?
To help us to give you the correct advice we will need to
see any relevant documents such as Passport, Court Orders,
Notice to Quit, rent book, Child Benefit book etc. Always
bring with you any documents that will help us to deal with
your case.
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Are you 'Eligible' for
Assistance? |
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This normally applies to those applicants who are subject
to immigration control, under the Asylum and Immigration Act
1996.
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What
is 'Priority Need'? |
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You are said to be in a priority need category
if:-
- You have dependent children who normally
live with you
- You or someone you normally live with
is pregnant
- You have become homeless as a result
of fire, flood or other disaster
- You, or someone you live with is disabled,
suffering from a mental illness, or is vulnerable for some
other special reason (for example, old age).
It will help if your doctor, social worker,
health visitor etc supports your claim. Please bring any medical
evidence you have with you to the interview.
If the Council is satisfied that you are
eligible for assistance, homeless and in priority need we
will need to check two other facts:-
- That you are not homeless intentionally.
- Whether or not you have a local connection
with St Albans District Council or any other Authority.
While we are investigating these two facts,
we may provide emergency accommodation, if this is necessary.
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What is 'Intentionally
Homeless'? |
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If it is discovered that you deliberately
did, or failed to do, something which has caused you to lose
your home (i.e. not paid the rent or mortgage although you
had the income to make those payments) you may be regarded
as having made yourself intentionally homeless.
If the Council discovers that you have colluded
with your landlord or a member of your family or friends to
get your current accommodation taken away from you, so that
you can apply for housing under the homelessness legislation,
you may be regarded as intentionally homeless.
You may also be regarded as intentionally
homeless if it is known that accommodation was available for
you and you received assistance to secure it, but deliberately
failed to do so.
If the Council decides that you are intentionally
homeless we may provide you with emergency accommodation for
a short period only, to allow you some time to find your own
accommodation elsewhere.
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Local Connection |
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You have a local connection with St Albans
District Council if:-
- You have lived in our area for at least
six months in the last year or for three out of the last
five years.
- You have permanent employment within
the area.
- You have close relatives (i.e. your parents,
brother or sister) who are living in the area and have lived
here for at least five years.
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If you have a Local Connection
with More than One Authority |
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If you have a local connection with the
Council you first applied to, they cannot normally ask another
Council to help you. If you do not have a local connection
with the Council you first applied to, but have a connection
elsewhere, they may ask that other Council to help you with
housing.
If all the facts are checked and the Council
wants to accept responsibility for rehousing you, we will
eventually make you an offer of a property once you have sufficient
points on the Housing Register. Because Council housing is
in short supply, we may not be able to offer you the type
of property that you want and it may not be possible to offer
accommodation in the area that you have requested.
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Notification of Decision |
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Everyone whose homeless application has
been investigated by the Council will receive a written decision
about their application stating the reasons for the decision.
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If You Disagree with the
Council's Decision |
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The Council will normally have considered
all the facts regarding your case and we make effort to ensure
that each decision is fair and reasonable in all respects.
If the Council has decided that:-
- You are not eligible for assistance
- You are not homeless or threatened with
homelessness
- You are not in priority need
- You are intentionally homeless
- You are not happy with the accommodation
the Council has offered you after having been accepted as
homeless
You have the right under Section 202 of
the Housing Act 1996 to request a review of the Council's
decision. All letters notifying you of these decisions will
advise you of your right to review and how to go about requesting
a review.
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How to Contact Us |
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The Rehousing Section is here to help anyone
in St Albans who is threatened with homelessness or who is
in need to Housing Advice. We can be contacted by telephoning
01727 819408/819413 or 819271. We operate a duty Housing Adviser
service from Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.30pm (4.00pm
on Fridays). Alternatively you can email us at rehousing@stalbans.gov.uk.
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