General - Housing

Housing should be arranged prior to the release of the young person. However, it will be important that you, as a mentor, have a clear understanding of the partner organisations to contact if housing is a concern.

This chapter gives details to support you if your mentee’s housing situation changes or becomes unstable.

As a mentor, it is best to stay abreast of their home situation each time you meet up. Check there are no forms to fill in that they are not behind in rent etc.

If you are concerned about the housing situation of your mentee and have concerns that they will become homeless please:

• Contact your KEY4LIFE supervisor and seek advice

Much of the information given here is from Citizens Advice Bureau: Citizens Advice

Reproduced by kind permission of Citizens Advice. © Citizens Advice 2014

Homeless or threatened with homelessness

You will be considered legally homeless if you have no accommodation that is available and reasonable for you and your household to live in. This includes accommodation in another country.

You will also be homeless if you have accommodation, but cannot get into it. For example, if you have somewhere to stay with friends or relatives, but have been asked to leave, or you are at risk of violence in your home.

You will be considered to be threatened with homelessness, if you are likely to be homeless within 28 days (in Scotland, two months).

Types of accommodation

Local authority accommodation
Local authorities don't have to have a housing register, but in practice, most will keep a register or waiting list of people who have applied to rent accommodation. You usually have to fill in an application form to apply for local authority accommodation.

Choice based lettings
Some local authorities will advertise empty homes in their area so that people on their waiting list can then 'bid' for the property they are interested in. This is called 'Choice based lettings'. If your local authority uses this type of system for letting accommodation, they should give you information on how, when and where you can bid for accommodation.

Housing associations
Housing associations are 'not-for-profit' organisations that provide housing for rent. There are many housing associations providing a range of accommodation. Some provide housing for certain types of people, for example, single parents or disabled people. Others provide general housing in the same way as a local authority.

Private rented
An accommodation agency may be able to help you find accommodation owned by a private landlord. If you register with an agency, you will be asked the type of property you are looking for and how much rent you are willing to pay. You will normally be asked to give details of your job and income and may also be asked to provide references from your employer, bank, and present or previous landlord.

Accredited private rented
If you're looking for private rented accommodation, you might want to check if any landlords in your area are part of an accreditation scheme. Accreditation schemes are voluntary schemes that landlords join to show that they provide good quality accommodation.

For more information about accreditation schemes in England, go to Welcome to Accreditation Network UK | ANUK .

Looking for accommodation

If you are looking for accommodation, you might find it useful to collect:

lists of hostels, bed and breakfast hotels and emergency accommodation
lists of accommodation agencies
addresses of local housing associations and housing cooperatives
advice on approaching the local authority as a homeless person
the addresses of refuges for women in violent relationships
information on local housing available for people with special needs.

The Homeless UK website has information about services for homeless people, including hostels, day centres and other advice and support services. Go to Homeless Link.

Renting accommodation

If you're under 18, the law says you aren't allowed to hold a tenancy. However, there are ways that a landlord can work around this.

For example, a landlord could grant:

a tenancy that will be held on trust for you by a third party such as an adult relative or social worker, until you turn 18, or
a joint tenancy if a joint tenant is aged 18 or over.

As an alternative, you could sign an agreement with a landlord for a licence, which is different from a tenancy. Holding a licence means that you have the landlord's personal permission, rather than a legal right, to stay in the accommodation. You could then be granted a tenancy when you turn 18.

Landlords, including housing associations and local authority housing departments, may require a guarantor before giving a licence to someone under 18. If you move into local authority accommodation after leaving a children’s home, the social services department will often be the guarantor.

If you move into rented accommodation, you may want to claim Housing Benefit. Although there is no age restriction on claiming Housing Benefit, the amount you can get if you are under 35 and have no children is usually restricted.

For information about Housing Benefit, see section living skills/benefits.

Priority need

You will be counted as having a 'priority need' for housing if you are homeless and:

you are pregnant
you have dependent children under 16, or under 19 if they are in full-time education
you are homeless because of an emergency such as a flood or a fire
you are aged 16 or 17.
You may also be in priority need if you fall into one of the following groups. In some cases, you may have to show that your situation has made you vulnerable
you are elderly, or have a physical or mental illness or disability
you are over 18 but at risk of exploitation or have been in care
you are at risk of domestic violence, racial violence or other threats of violence
you are homeless after leaving hospital, prison or the armed forces.

Other useful contacts

Help if you’re homeless or about to become homeless - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In England, your council must help if you’re legally homeless or will become homeless within the next 8 weeks.

Shelter

The Shelter website provides information about a range of housing options, including help for homeless people, private renting and home ownership.

Housing advice centres can offer advice and information about all aspects of housing. Some are run by local authorities while others are run by voluntary organisations.

Details of independent housing advice centres are available from:

Website: Shelter - The housing and homelessness charity .

Address: 88 Old Street, London , EC1V 9HU

Helpline: 0808 800 4444

Email: info@shelter.org.uk

Crisis

Advice and support for people experiencing homelessness. Crisis can offer you support to find housing, employment, develop new skills, and more.

Get help: Crisis Skylight centres | Crisis UK

SafeAgent

Cheltenham Office Park,
Hatherley Lane,
Cheltenham GL51 6SH

Tel: 01242 581712

E-mail: info@safeagents.co.uk

Website: Safeagent - The Sure Sign of professionalism (safeagents.co.uk)

Peace of mind for landlords and tenants; safeagent is the UK's leading, not for profit accreditation scheme for lettings and management agents operating in the Private Rented Sector. safeagents meet strict compliance criteria to provide reassurance to landlords and tenants.