When the council offers you temporary accommodation they must take into account what you can afford to pay for it. You should be told in advance what the costs will be.

The charge must be reasonable

When deciding what to charge you the council has to take into account your earnings and what you need to spend on other essentials. They will often do this by completing an income and expenditure form with you. They will ask to see:

• bank statements

• any savings you have

• your payslips if you’re in work

• proof of income if you’re self employed

• proof of any regular bills you pay

• receipts for things you usually pay for in cash

• your living costs, including money you need for work, travel, clothing and food

You can use the free budget planner on the MoneyHelper website to show your own income and expenditure report to the council.

The charge could be higher if you’re working and your income is over the limit for applying for Housing Benefit. You could challenge the cost if it’s unaffordable.

Getting benefits to pay for temporary accommodation

If you have no income or a low income the council must help you apply for Housing Benefit to help cover the cost of temporary accommodation.

If you’re already getting Universal Credit you could still apply for Housing Benefit to cover the cost of temporary accommodation.

If you cannot afford the charge

Follow these steps to resolve the issue.

Step 1: negotiate with the council

Accept the offer of accommodation, but ask the council to reconsider the amount they are charging you.

Give them information about your income and expenses to show how much you can pay.

Step 2: ask for a breakdown of the cost

Ask the council for an itemised breakdown of exactly what the charge is for.

You should only be charged accommodation costs. Get advice if the council is charging you for things like repairs, maintenance and support services. These kinds of charges could be unlawful.

Step 3: get advice

If you’re still being asked to pay an unaffordable amount, get advice urgently.

Contact a Shelter Scotland adviser to help you work out your options, including deciding whether you can get legal advice to challenge the cost in court.

There is normally a 3 month deadline from when the charge was set by the council to take legal action. It can also be more difficult to challenge the cost if you’ve been making regular payments.