Housing

There is a national shortage of good quality, affordable housing in the UK. This means finding a house can be very difficult. Council housing is in particularly short supply and so it is often faster to rent privately.

If you have been living somewhere as part of getting asylum support, you will have to move within 28 days of getting refugee status. If you’re already living with friends or family, you don’t need to move - but you won’t be able to claim Housing Benefit. It could also affect other benefits you might get. If your friends or family are claiming Housing Benefit, it might mean they receive less.

Applying for council housing

If you have refugee status or humanitarian protection, you are “eligible” for housing in the UK. You can apply to go on the local council waiting list (often called the housing register) and get help if you are homeless.  However, not all eligible people go on the waiting list, and some homeless people get limited help.

You can apply online or in person to go on the council housing register, but you may need to go to the offices afterwards to provide proof. 

If you are looking for a council house/housing association house then please see this information:

• Council housing: apply for a council home on GOV.UK
• Housing association homes: apply for a home on GOV.UK

More information for refugees and their rights to housing from their local council or housing association can be found at the Housing Rights Website.

The housing register

Each council must keep a list of people to whom they can offer housing.  This housing may be owned by the council or by a local housing association. 

Each council has their own policies for deciding who should get housed by them, and who will be put on the list. The law says that councils must consider applications for housing from certain groups of people and add them to their housing register.

This includes those who:

• are homeless or threatened with homelessness in the next 56 days
• are living in unsanitary or overcrowded conditions
• need housing due to medical conditions, a disability or other hardship conditions

Some councils will not put people on their list until they have lived in the area for a certain amount of time. This policy may not be legal if it is applied to refugees.

Going on the housing register does not guarantee a home. People on the list are usually given points or put into “bands” with people in greater need getting more points or going into higher bands.

Most councils give more points to people who have waited longer. People who have enough points or are in high enough bands can then apply for suitable homes that are available through a competitive bidding process.

Support if you are homeless

If you have nowhere you can live legally anywhere in the world, or you have somewhere but it is not reasonable for you to carry on living there (for example, because someone there has threatened you with violence), you are considered to be homeless.

If you are homeless or are going to lose your home within the next 56 days, the local council must offer you some help. The help it offers depends on whether you are in “priority need”, “intentionally homeless” or have a “local connection”. These terms are explained in more detail below.

Priority need

You will have priority need if you are homeless due to a disaster such as a fire or flood, or if your household includes:

• children under 16
• children under 19 if they are in full-time education
• a woman who is pregnant

You will also have priority need if your household includes an adult who is “vulnerable” because of old age, mental illness, handicap or physical disability, or other special reason. A person is vulnerable if they are less able to cope if made homeless than an ordinary person. Refugees still dealing with the effects of persecution and human rights abuses may fit this definition.

If you are homeless and not in priority need, the council only has to offer you advice and help, not actual housing. If the council has reason to believe that you are eligible, homeless, and in priority need, they must offer you emergency accommodation while they investigate your case.  This may be a hostel or bed and breakfast.

Intentionally homeless

If you are in priority need but “intentionally homeless” the council only has to offer you accommodation for a short time. You are intentionally homeless if you did or failed to do something which resulted in you losing your home. Examples might include failing to pay the rent or giving up accommodation that you could have continued to live in. Refugees cannot be intentionally homeless because they left accommodation in their home country.

Local connection

If you are homeless, in priority need, and not intentionally homeless then a council must offer you temporary and then permanent housing. The council you applied to may send you to a different council if you have no “local connection”. You have a “local connection” with a council area where you work, or:

• have lived for 6 months out of the last 12 or 3 years out of the last 5
• have a close family member who has lived there for 5 years
• were last living in asylum support accommodation provided under Section 95 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999

Once the council has carried out its investigations, it must provide you with longer term housing if it agrees you are:

• homeless
• in priority need
• not intentionally homeless 
• have a local connection

This may be a private rented flat.

If your local connection is with another council area, the council will send you there to be rehoused. In areas where there is a high demand for housing, even if you do have a local connection, the council may send you somewhere else for your longer-term housing.

Apply for help as homeless

If you want to apply for help as homeless you will need to do this in person. It is important that you include as much information about your situation as possible.

You will will need to include your biometric residence permit showing you have been granted leave by the Home Office or other proof that you have been given leave (such as a letter from a lawyer or immigration adviser).

You will also need to include information about: 

• your current housing situation
• your local connection to the council
• any health problems you have
• your family members in the UK such as children, partner or spouse including proof of their relationship to you
• any health problems your family members have

You will need to provide: 

• evidence that you are homeless such as eviction notices or letters from friends asking you to leave
• documents confirming you have children such as birth certificates or their biometric resident permits

If you are pregnant: proof of the pregnancy such as a MATB1 maternity certificate is required (this will be provided once you are about 20 weeks’ pregnant) or a letter from your doctor or midwife confirming the pregnancy.

If you are a victim of violence, information confirming this violence such as letters from a GP or social worker or police reports will be required.

Seeking further advice

If the council decides you do not qualify to be placed on their housing register or do not qualify for help as homeless you should seek advice from your advisor. 

If you are refused long-term accommodation or emergency accommodation you should seek advice from your advisor.

For more information on what the council can do please see Help if you’re homeless or about to become homeless - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Private rented sector (PRS) house

Your local council can help you find somewhere to rent privately. Some councils and homeless charities run schemes to help people find a private tenancy or a room in a shared house. Search for a scheme in your area using the Help to Rent database run by Crisis.

Right to rent checks

Private landlords must ask to see your passport or papers from the Home Office that show you have the right to live in the UK. This is called a right to rent check.

Tenancy deposit and rent in advance

Private landlords usually ask for a deposit and rent in advance. This is usually the same amount of money as one month's rent, although sometimes it can be more. Ask the council if they can help. You might also get help through a:

• refugee integration loan
• rent deposit scheme

Help with housing costs including rent and council tax

If you are a refugee and you are living in accommodation provided by the council or a housing association, or you are living in private rented accommodation or you have a room in a hostel, you may get help towards your rent and/or council tax if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Help towards rent

Help towards your rent is available in most cases as part of Universal Credit (UC) which you can claim from the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions).  For more information, including how to make your claim on-line, see www.gov.uk/universal-credit

Help towards your rent is available through Housing Benefit from your local council if:

• you claim on or after 16 January 2019 and you or your partner are (or were within the last month) entitled to a severe disability premium within your income support, income-related employment and support allowance or income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• live in temporary accommodation provided by the council
• you live in supported housing
• you have reached state pension age

You can make a claim directly to your local council, usually on their website but you may be able to make a claim by phone or request a paper application form if you are not able make a claim online.

For more information see housing benefit guidance on GOV.UK.

If you are entitled to help with your rent in either universal credit or housing benefit but still need further help with your rent you maybe eligible to apply for a discretionary-housing-payments from your local council.

Help towards Council Tax

Help towards your council tax is available through Council Tax reduction. Each council has their own Council Tax reduction scheme. You can apply directly to your local council, usually on their website but you may be able to make a claim by phone or request a paper application form if you are not able make a claim online. More information can be found at www.gov.uk/apply-council-tax-reduction.