Getting permanent accommodation when you’re homeless
If you meet all the council's homelessness criteria, they should offer you a permanent home.
Find out how the offer will be made, what type of tenancy you might be offered, and what you can do if you're not happy with the offer.
Who is entitled to permanent accommodation
You will be offered permanent accommodation if the council has decided that:
you're eligible for assistance
you did not become intentionally homeless
you have a local connection to the area
If you made a homeless application on or after 29 November 2022, the council cannot refer you to another Scottish council even if you have no local connection.
If they try to refer you to a different council, including one in England or Wales, get advice from a Shelter Scotland adviser.
Permanent accommodation must:
not be overcrowded
not be a danger to your health
meet any health or disability needs you or your household have
be reasonable for you to live in, for example, it should not be in an area where you are at risk of violence
The council should also make sure that you have reasonable access to:
your friends and family
your place of work
your children's schools
suitable healthcare services
support services to help you maintain your tenancy, for example, counselling services to help you tackle any problems you may have
The offer
Most councils will only make one offer of suitable permanent accommodation.
When the council makes you an offer of permanent accommodation, they should tell you if it's the last offer they’ll make. If you are not given this information when the offer is made, then it should not count as a final offer.
The council must make their offer of permanent accommodation in writing. The letter must tell you that:
you have the right to ask the council to review the offer if you think it's unsuitable
if you refuse the final offer, the council will not have to help you anymore and you will have to move out of your temporary accommodation
Get advice from Shelter Scotland before turning down an offer of a permanent home.
Find out more about reviewing an offer
Accepting an offer
If you accept the permanent accommodation you're offered, the council will tell you when you can move in.
After that date, the council will no longer have a responsibility to provide temporary accommodation.
Council and housing association tenancy types
Scottish secure tenancies
If you are offered a permanent tenancy with the council or a housing association, you will normally have a Scottish secure tenancy.
Scottish secure tenants have many rights and can normally stay in their homes indefinitely, provided they keep to the conditions of their tenancy agreement.
Find out about Scottish secure tenancies
Short Scottish secure tenancies
You might be offered a short Scottish secure tenancy with fewer rights if:
you or someone in your household has been evicted for antisocial behaviour in the last three years, or
you are subject to an antisocial behaviour order when the offer of permanent accommodation is made, or
you need support in your tenancy
Find out about short Scottish secure tenancies
Other types of permanent accommodation
Private residential tenancies
The council can also arrange a private residential tenancy with a private landlord, but this would need to be suitable and affordable.
Find out about private residential tenancies
Supported accommodation
In some circumstances, the council may offer you supported accommodation. This may be accommodation with support for:
young people
disabled people
people with drug or alcohol dependencies
Finding your own permanent home
If you secure your own accommodation, the council will no longer have a responsibility to help you and you will have to give up your temporary accommodation.
If the council does not have to offer permanent accommodation
Sometimes the level of support needed by you or someone in your household means that the council are not able to make an offer of permanent accommodation. This is decided by a housing support services assessment.
Short-term accommodation
Depending on your situation, the council might offer you short-term accommodation (sometimes called transitional accommodation).
If you are given short-term accommodation, the council must also provide you with:
all of the housing support needs you require
access to independent advice and information that relates to your support plan
an agreed timescale for the length of your short-term accommodation and support plan
a date where your short-term accommodation and support plan can be reviewed
permanent accommodation when the housing support service assessment agrees it's suitable
a way for your short-term accommodation and support plan to be monitored
Last updated: 6 January 2023
Housing laws differ between Scotland and England.
This content applies to Scotland only.
Get homeless help from the council
The council must help if you are homeless or likely to become homeless in the next two months.
Get emergency help from the council