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Evicted and at risk of being homeless

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Evicted and at risk of being homeless

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If you're worried about becoming homeless, you need to tell us as soon as possible. Do not wait until you've been evicted. Our priority is to help you stay in your current home if it's safe to do so.  

Private renter eviction

If you rent from a private landlord, you have rights.

Section 21 notice

A Section 21 notice is a letter from a landlord to a tenant, asking the tenant to leave the place they're renting. It must give at least 2 months' notice. Use Shelter’s tenancy rights checker to confirm your tenancy agreement. If you have an assured shorthold tenancy your landlord will need to issue you with a valid Section 21 notice. This will need to go to court before you can be evicted. Citizens Advice has advice on what to do if you get a Section 21 notice.

If your landlord has not given you a valid Section 21 notice you can contact us or contact Citizens Advice.

Harassment

It's a crime for your landlord to harass you to try and force you out of your home. Harassment includes:

  • changing your locks
  • using threatening behaviour
  • verbal or physical abuse
  • entering your home without permission
  • withdrawing services, such as gas or electricity

Find out more about harassment or threat of eviction

Difficulty paying rent or service charges

Speak to your landlord if you cannot pay your rent or services charges. They may give you extra time to pay. 

Check if you can increase your income by applying for:

Council tenant eviction 

If you're a council tenant, you should talk to us about any tenancy problems or support needs. 

Home owner mortgage arrears

If you're struggling to pay your mortgage you should seek advice early. You may be entitled to additional financial support. 

Asked to leave by family or friends

If you live with family or friends and are being asked to leave, you should contact us as soon as possible. You may only have the right to reasonable notice to leave which could be 28 days or less.

We will arrange for an advisor to work with you and your family or friends to find a solution. In most cases disagreements can be sorted by talking them through. If not, then we may get agreement that you have more time in the property to prepare for a planned move.  

Housing advice if you are under 18 or a care leaver

How to contact us

If you're homeless or at risk of being homeless, complete the housing assistance referral form. This takes about 10 minutes. 

Make a housing assistance referral

Help to complete the form

If you need help completing this form online, you could ask a relative, friend or neighbour. If you cannot go online, are vulnerable or have a disability you should contact us.

Rough sleeping

If you're rough sleeping, Routes off the Streets can provide support. This includes access to drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services.

What happens next

After completing the form, an advisor will contact you within 10 working days. They'll assess your situation and ask you to provide documents such as a:

  • passport or Home Office documents
  • Section 21 notice or other information about why you are homeless
  • medical assessment or medication information
  • recent payslip or benefit payment

Do not worry if you cannot find your documents straight away. It's more important that you have contacted us to help you end your homelessness.

Eligible for housing assistance 

If you have recourse to public funds and are homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days, you are eligible for housing assistance.  

An advisor will work with you to agree a personal housing plan. This will include the steps that Camden and you will take to end your homelessness.  

If we have reason to believe you are in priority need, we may provide emergency accommodation. Let us know if you have a pet. Most emergency accommodation will not take pets and you should think about asking friends or family if they can help.

Emergency accommodation could include shared facilities and be: 

  • a hostel or hotel 
  • outside Camden 

We will provide this while we work with you to find longer-term housing. View the Homelessness Accommodation Policy.

Longer-term housing  

We can support you to find longer-term housing. This will probably be a private rented property. Our support includes: 

  • funding to cover the first month’s rent and deposit 
  • support to negotiate with landlords to achieve an affordable rent and advice and guidance around what’s affordable 
  • employment support 
  • tenant rights and responsibility guidance 

Rent in Camden is very expensive. Where possible we will support you to find property options in or as near to Camden as we can. Our priority is to make sure that you can keep your tenancy in a property that meets your housing needs.  

If you will struggle to manage a tenancy, we'll work with you to achieve this. We can also support you to access supported accommodation if appropriate.  

Not eligible for housing assistance

If you have no recourse to public funds this means that you are not eligible for most benefits or housing assistance. If this is the case, we'll write to tell you about services that may be able to support you.