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Relationship broken down and at risk of being homeless

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Relationship broken down 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're homeless. Our priority is to help you to stay in your current home if it's safe to do so.  

Married or a couple living together

If your relationship has broken down and you have a joint or sole tenancy, you may have a right to stay there.  This is the same for social, private sector or home ownership properties. 

If you're married to the tenant, you may have marital rights to remain in the home. You may need legal advice or support from your housing officer if you are a social housing tenant. 

Shelter and Citizens Advice have the following guidance on:

Domestic abuse

You should contact us if you are experiencing domestic abuse. 

Asked to leave by family or friends 

If you live with friends and family 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.  

Find out more about 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 will 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're not eligible for most benefits or housing assistance. If this is the case, we will write to tell you about services that may be able to support you.