Application for homelessness

To make a homeless application you should make an appointment to visit our Housing Services Unit located on Brixton Hill. If your situation is urgent however, and you physically have nowhere to sleep, you may be able to get a walk in appointment on the day.

Before proceeding with the application process a housing adviser will meet with you to discuss your eligibility, consider what might be done to prevent your becoming homeless, and to outline the range of alternative housing options which are available to you.

At this stage you will be made aware that Lambeth Housing manages more than 32,000 homes, 88% of these are flats or maisonettes, 95% are on estates, and 65% are one bedroom or smaller. Should your application be accepted you will receive one suitable offer of accommodation from within the housing stock available to us. This offer will usually be made within two years, but depends on your needs and the size of property your household requires.

To address the limitations of our own stock we have developed a broad range of housing options, which provide us with an opportunity to give you a much wider choice of accommodation than you will be offered as a result of a homeless application. Among other things this will allow you to have more control over the size, quality, and location of your home.

If you decide that the alternative options we offer are not for you, and we find that your homelessness is not preventable, you may make a homelessness application.

Homeless assessment interview

To make a homelessness application you must make an appointment to be interviewed by a homeless assessment officer who will carry out a full assessment of your situation. Your assessment officer should be the same throughout your application, and you will be given their name and contact details at your first interview.

You will be asked to bring a number of documents along with you to the interview (see the 'what to bring with you' section) and the time taken to complete your assessment can often depend on the availability of this documentation. Additional interviews may be required if you are unable to supply all the required documentation, or if we need to meet with you to obtain or verify information related to your application.

The Homeless Persons Legislation requires the Council to make enquiries into your circumstances which will include your address history for the last 5 years. This enables us to assess whether you are:

• Homeless
• Eligible for assistance
• In priority need
• Not intentionally homeless
• Have a local connection with the Lambeth area

The amount of help you are entitled to will depend on the outcome of our enquiries and how many of the above criteria you meet.

What to bring with you

To help with these enquiries you will be required to provide the following documents. (Please note that all documents must originals, copies cannot be accepted).

Identity:

1. Full birth certificate /passport of everyone on your application. All birth certificates will be verified to check their authenticity.
2. National Insurance Card.

Addresses:

1. Any official documents which are dated/postmarked, which show all your addresses for the last five years. E.g. bank statements, letters from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Inland Revenue etc. We would need to see at least one for every year if you have been at the same address.
2. Tenancy agreement for the address in which you currently live, and also for the previous addresses for the last five years.

 Proof of immigration status:

1. UK passport/birth certificate.
2. EEC passport/national ID card.
3. Other passport stamped with 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' plus letter from the Home Office granting the 'Indefinite Leave'.
4. Proof of Refugee Status or 'Exceptional Leave to Remain'.
5. Photographic identification issued by the Home Office.

Source of income:

1. Income Support or other welfare benefit book (for those in receipt of benefits).
2. Pay slips for the last three months (for those working).

Proof of pregnancy:

1. Document from GP/hospital confirming pregnancy and the expected date of delivery.
2. Maternity book.

Proof of medical condition:

1. Name, address and telephone number of doctor/consultant/agency responsible for your medical care. Also any letters from doctor/consultant regarding your medical condition.

Care/control/residence of children:

1. Any documents confirming care/control/residence/guardianship of a minor who appears on the application.
2. Proof of child benefit for the minor.
3. Proof of full time education for a child over the age of 16 if still in full time education.

Proof of Homelessness:

1. Notice to quit
2. Court order/bailiff’s warrant
3. Letter asking you to leave

Please note that the person asking you to leave may be required to attend the office for an interview to complete and sign the Confirmation of Homelessness Form. In such circumstances they would need to come into the office with confirmation that they are the legal occupiers of the property e.g. tenancy agreement; and a photographic identification e.g. passport/driver’s licence). In many cases we may also visit you and the person asking you to leave in order to verify the details of your homelessness.

The assessment process

In order to make a decision on your application an assessment officer will need to make enquiries into the circumstances of your homelessness. As such we will need your permission to contact doctors, social workers and other appropriate professionals in order to confirm your circumstances. The length of time it will take to make a decision will depend on how easy it is for us to verify the details of your homeless application.

If your circumstances change at any time you must inform your assessment officer immediately. Failure to do so could seriously affect your application and possible future housing.

What if I have nowhere to sleep?

If you make a homeless application, and you can’t make arrangements to stay somewhere whilst we consider your application, we may be able to provide you with some temporary accommodation while we carry out enquiries into your homelessness. The assessment officer who considers your application can arrange this.

Temporary accommodation

You may be provided with short stay accommodation at first until we make certain enquiries and tell you what we can do for you after that. As such you should be prepared to move at short notice.

Temporary accommodation can range from the emergency use of bed and breakfast hotels, to council owned hostels, accommodation managed by private agents and housing associations. We also make referrals to supported temporary accommodation for people with special needs.

Please see our temporary housing services page for more detailed information.

Medical assessment

If you or a member of your household has a medical condition or a disability that you feel should be taken into account you should tell the assessment officer during your interview. You will then be asked to provide certain details about the medical condition and if necessary our medical adviser may need to consider this information. This will help us to decide whether you are medically vulnerable and so have a priority need under the homelessness legislation. You may also be asked to sign a form agreeing that the medical adviser can approach your GP or specialist for more details if required.

If you are considered to be in priority need the medical adviser will also use any relevant information to make recommendations about the type of property which will be suitable for you. We will tell you about any recommendations that are made.

The council’s decision

Once the council’s assessment of your application has been completed you will be sent a letter telling you what we have decided, the reasons for our decision, and what kind of help you may be entitled to. This letter is known as a Section 184 notification.

Negative decisions

If you do not meet any of the first four criteria described above (homelessness, eligibility, intentionality, and priority need) the amount of help we are able to give you will be limited and may only be the provision of advice or assistance with finding yourself somewhere to live.

If you are in temporary accommodation at this point you will be required to leave and make your own alternative arrangements. If you do receive a negative decision you are entitled to ask for a review, the letter will explain how to do this.

Your right to request a review

If you disagree with the council’s decision regarding your homeless application then you have a right to ask for a review of that decision. Our decision letter will explain how to request a review, and what is involved.

You must make this request in writing within 21 days of receiving the original letter. Your assessment officer will also be able to provide more advice about exercising this right.

Your right to appeal to the County Court

If you are dissatisfied with the review decision you have the right to appeal to the County Court on a point of law. This appeal must be made within 21 days from the date on which you were notified of the review decision.

We recommend that you seek independent legal advice when dealing with these matters.

Positive decisions

If the council accepts that it has a duty to you under the 1996 Housing Act (as amended by the 2002 Homelessness Act) and you can’t make your own alternative arrangements we may be able to provide you with temporary accommodation.

You may stay in temporary accommodation until such time as suitable permanent accommodation can be secured. At this time we will also ensure that your details are entered on our housing register for a permanent council or housing association home.

Receiving an offer of permanent accommodation

Please note that you will only be entitled to one offer of 'suitable' permanent accommodation, and we will try to make this offer before the end of two years. This may not always be possible, for example, in the case of large families or those with special requirements.

The suitability of the offer is based upon your housing needs as defined by our allocation policy, taking into account any specific medical recommendation regarding the type of housing that might be appropriate for you.

Our policy is that if you are homeless you must be prepared to accept housing in any part of the borough (there are only a few exceptions to this policy).

• If you refuse a suitable offer, our homeless duty to you will end and you will have to find your own accommodation.
• If you fail to come to an appointment to view a property, we may consider that you have refused a suitable offer.
• If you believe a property is not suitable, you can appeal (ask for a review) against the offer. You must appeal in writing within 21 days of receiving the offer.
• If you lose your appeal, our duty will already have ended and we will not make you another offer.
• You may accept an offer and then appeal. If you lose this appeal, you can keep the property you have accepted.