Overview of the council's duties

This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. This page applies to Scotland only. Get advice relating to England

If you are homeless or think that you are about to become homeless, you may be able to get help from the council. The help you can get will depend on your circumstances and how you became homeless. This page tells you how to apply for help and gives details of the kind of assistance you might be entitled to.

What help is available?

The help you can get will depend on your personal circumstances.

• If you are threatened with homelessness the council will see if it can prevent you having to leave your home.
• If you have to leave your home or you are already homeless you will either be given advice and help to find a new home, or you may be entitled to permanent housing from the council or a housing association.
• If you have nowhere to stay while the council is looking into your personal circumstances you should be given somewhere to stay (temporary accommodation).

Read the page on how can the council help me to find out more.

Who can get help?

You don't have to be sleeping on the street to get help from the council. It may also have to help you if:

• you are likely to be evicted within the next two months
• you can only stay where you are temporarily (for example, if you are staying with friends or family)
• you have to move because of violence or threats
• you are living in overcrowded conditions
• you have been refused entry to your home
• you live in a caravan or houseboat but have nowhere to put it
• your home is in such a bad state of repair that it is damaging your health
• you don't have permission to stay where you are
• your household is forced to live apart because your accommodation isn't suitable for you all to live together.

Find out more about who can apply to the council here.

How do I go about getting help?

If you want to get help from the council, you have to make a homeless application. Once you have made your application, the council has to follow special procedures to decide what kind of help you are entitled to. This is what should happen:

You go to the council to make an application

Read the page about contacting the council to find out how.

You should be interviewed by a homelessness officer

Find out more about making an application here.

You should be offered somewhere to stay

If you have nowhere to stay, you should be offered temporary accommodation. Temporary accommodation isn't free, but you may be able to get housing benefit to help pay the rent if you are on a low income.

The council may look after your belongings for you if you have nowhere to store them. However, if you have pets you will need to make arrangements for someone else to look after them as the council probably won't arrange kennelling for you. The page on storage has more on this.

The council will look into your situation

In order to work out what kind of help you are entitled to, the council has to look at your circumstances and see whether you pass a series of 'tests'. These are to see whether you are:

• homeless or threatened with homeless, and
• in priority need (the council will check if you fall into a priority need 'category' and might find it hard to find or keep a tenancy), and
• not intentionally homeless (the council will look at how you became homeless).

The section on the council's homelessness tests explains more.

It will usually take the council up to 28 days to make its inquiries, but it may take longer if your situation is complicated.

The council will make a decision

Once the council has completed its inquiries you should be given a written decision to let you know what kind of help you are entitled to.

• If you do not pass all of the homelessness tests, you should be offered advice and assistance and you should be allowed to continue to stay in temporary accommodation for a short while to give you the opportunity to find somewhere else to live.
• If you pass all of the homelessness tests but do not have a local connection to the council area you have applied in, the council may refer you to an area that you do have a connection with. The council should not refer you to an area where you may be in danger.
• If you pass all of the homelessness tests, you should be given an offer of permanent accommodation.

What if I'm not happy with the council's decision?

Unfortunately, councils don't always make the right decisions. If you think the council's decision is wrong, there are various options open to you. The section on challenging the council's decision has more information.

Can I get help with my application?

Making a homeless application can seem daunting and complicated. However, an adviser from a housing aid centre, Citizens Advice Bureau or other local agency can help you get through it. For example, an adviser may be able to:

• help you prepare to make an application by explaining what you'll need to bring with you
• make sure you mention all relevant information to the homelessness officer at your interview
• accompany you to your interview if necessary, or arrange for someone else to do so
• make sure you are offered temporary accommodation and storage for your belongings
• look at your decision letter and check that the decision is legal and takes into account your entire situation
• help you request and prepare for a review if you're not happy with the decision
• help you make further appeals if your review is unsuccessful
• offer you advice on your housing options and help you find new accommodation.

Use the Advice Services Directory to find help near you.