01. Introduction

There are laws to help you if you have nowhere to live, whether it's because you're being unfairly evicted by your landlord, or you or your children are not safe where you live.

This leaflet covers important questions you may have:

• Will the council find me somewhere to live?
• Does it matter how I became homeless?
• What if the council offers me somewhere unsuitable?
• What can I do if I disagree with the council's decision?
• Where can I go if I need somewhere to stay urgently?
• What if my landlord wants to evict me?
• What can I do if my landlord is harassing me?

The leaflets in this series give you an outline of your legal rights. They are not a complete guide to the law and are not intended to be a guide to how the law will apply to you or to any specific situation. The leaflets are regularly updated but the law may have changed since this was printed, so information in it may be incorrect or out of date.

The prospect of having nowhere to live is terrifying for anyone. But there are laws that are meant to protect you from being homeless, especially if you are a vulnerable person - for example, if you are young, pregnant or being threatened by someone.

If you are facing homelessness because your landlord wants you to leave your house or flat, there are laws to make sure he or she deals with you fairly. Landlords must follow special procedures before you have to leave. These procedures depend on the type of tenancy you have, but if your landlord tries to force you to leave without following the right procedures, they will be breaking the law. For more on this, see the Community Legal Service Direct leaflet 'Renting and Letting', which outlines rights for tenants and landlords.

It's important to act quickly if you are homeless or face being homeless. The sooner you get help, the more likely you will be to find somewhere suitable to live, or prevent a landlord forcing you to leave. As a first step before applying to your council as homeless, you can get on-the-spot help and advice by contacting certain organisations. (See 'Further help' for details.)

It's important to realise that being homeless doesn't just mean living on the streets. You may be legally considered homeless, and entitled to get help to find somewhere to live (or to stay in your home), for many reasons. These include:

• you have somewhere to live, but you are too worried about your personal safety to stay there, because of violence or the threat of violence (which could be from a neighbour or ex-partner, not just from someone you live with);
• you have somewhere to live, but you can't stay because your home is in very poor condition and a threat to your health;
• you have nowhere that you can live with your family;
• you have been locked out of your home, and you are not allowed back; or
• you live in a caravan or houseboat (or other moveable structure) but you have nowhere to park it legally. 

You can download the PDF from the Community Legal Advice website using the link below: