Carl Barat, from the band Dirty Pretty Things, may be famous now, but he is no stranger to bad housing. He told Shelter about problems with shared accommodation, squatting and ending up sleeping rough.

Amber didn't get on with her mum when she came home after spending two years in care. She decided to move out as soon as she turned 16, but found it difficult to manage on her own.

Del ended up sleeping rough after his dad threw him out. When he first asked the council for housing, they weren't much help. He got emergency housing and then moved into his own flat.

Hayley's nightmare landlord refused to repair her central heating.With her flat freezing and an unsafe heater, she started withholding her rent and wanted to end her tenancy.

His college course was about to start, and Naz hadn't even thought about finding a place to live yet. With no college accommodation available, he had to find a privately rented flatshare.

Emma and Vikram's money problems almost cost them their home. A housing adviser helped them deal with their debts and looked into their housing benefit situation.

Tom was ready to leave home. But finding a place to live was much more difficult - and more expensive - than he expected. An adviser helped him find out about financial support he could apply for.