Get help and advice if you are homeless or losing your home

What can we do

We will try to stop you from losing your home if you are eligible and threatened with homelessness within 56 days. 

Do not wait until you are evicted to contact us. Our main aim is to help you stay in your own home or rent in the private sector.

Contact us for advice 

Fill out the housing advice form before visiting or calling the council. 

Complete the housing advice form

Make sure you fill out the form in one sitting as you will not be able to save your information to come back later.

You have 30 minutes to complete the form. To help you enter information quickly we recommend that you have available:

• National Insurance numbers for all household members over 16
• your address history, with dates, prepared in advance for easier uploading

Once you have filled out the form, a housing solutions officer will assess the details and contact you. The officer will talk about your situation and offer an appointment for a more detailed assessment if you need one.

Logging in

Once you have an account you can upload additional documents, track progress, view your Personal Housing Plan and send messages.

You’ll need the following information to login to your Housing Advice:

• household ID
• password
• security question and answer

Login to your Housing Advice account

If you have forgotten your password, or want to change your password, you can click the 'reset login information' button on the form.

If you need help urgently

If your situation is very urgent, for example, if you have suffered violence or abuse at home, contact us on 020 8547 5003 and ask to speak to Housing Solutions. A duty officer will call you back.   

What to do if your landlord has served you with notice

You do not have to leave by the date on the section 21 notice. Your landlord has to apply to court to end your tenancy if you stay. This process can take many months. 

For more information on your legal rights see the Shelter website

What happens next

If you’re offered an appointment, your officer will talk about your situation and suitable options with you.

We’ll start to develop a personal housing plan if you are:

• eligible for help
• homeless or likely to lose your home within 56 days

We’ll also tell you whether you are owed a prevention or relief duty.

Emergency accommodation

We will also consider whether you meet the criteria for emergency accommodation. We will need to have reason to believe that you or someone in your household is in priority need.

You’ll be offered emergency accommodation as well as your personal housing plan if you:

• meet the additional criteria
• have a local connection to the area

In most cases, emergency accommodation will be a bed and breakfast or a place in a hostel.

If we refer your case to another organisation, your accommodation will remain available for your use until the other authority accepts your referral.

If you do not qualify for emergency accommodation, we will refer you to other agencies who may be able to assist you. You will still retain the right to your personal housing plan.

Personal housing plan

A personal housing plan outlines what we will do to prevent you from becoming homeless or to secure another property for you to live in. 

You will be involved in developing the plan, balancing your choices and circumstances with the reality of the housing solutions available to you.

Reviewing your personal housing plan

The personal housing plan will be reviewed to see what progress has been made in securing alternative accommodation. 

If after 56 days or 112 days (if you have been subject to both Prevention and Relief) duties, you will be given a decision on your case.

Main housing duty

During those prevention and relief duties, we also consider whether you meet the criteria for a main housing duty to be owed.

To qualify you must meet all the following criteria. You:

• are eligible for help
• are homeless or likely to lose your home within 56 days
• or someone in your household is in priority need
• have not made yourself homeless intentionally

We will also consider your local connection again and may refer you to another area if there is no connection to this area.

If you are entitled to help

Under the main housing duty, the Council must ensure that suitable accommodation is available for the applicant and their household until the duty is brought to an end, usually through the offer of a settled home.   

We will update your entry on the housing register. Homeless households are placed into Band 3 and automatic bids will be placed on your behalf for any suitable properties that become available.  As there's a very limited supply of social housing in Kingston, the offer of a settled home may include the offer of a suitable tenancy from a private landlord. 

You will then remain in temporary accommodation until your homelessness is prevented. 

If you breach the terms of the temporary accommodation agreement, for example by not paying your rent, your duty will be ended and accommodation withdrawn.

Other services that can help 

Shelter’s free urgent expert housing advice

Call Shelter’s free advice helpline on 0808 800 4444, open every day of the year:

• Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
• Saturdays and Sundays, 9am to 5pm

Housing Crisis Intervention Service

If you are single and homeless, with links to the borough, Kingston Action On Homelessness (KCAH) offers a Housing Crisis Intervention Service from St Peters Church. They are open from Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm. 

Please go as early as possible as there can be long queues.

Kingston Citizens Advice Bureau

Contact Citizens Advice Bureau in Kingston for more advice by calling 0203 166 0953. They do not offer a drop-in service, so make sure you call or email them first.

Domestic Violence Hub

The Kingston Domestic Violence Hub is a team of independent domestic violence caseworkers and domestic and sexual violence advocates. They can help you work out the best next step for you. You can contact them on 020 8547 6046.

The hub is not a drop-in service, but you can arrange for an advice worker to meet with you and talk face to face. 

If you need urgent support, contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

Rough sleepers 

If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough in Kingston, tell StreetLink by telephoning 0300 500 0914. StreetLink can help to connect a person to the local outreach service and other services and support available to them.

Find out more about how Kingston helps rough sleepers in Kingston.

Refugees

Refugee Action Kingston helps refugees and asylum seekers, and advises on:

• immigration
• benefits
• housing
• health
• education

You can email them at admin@refugeeactionkingston.org.uk or phone 020 8547 0115.