Local authorities are duty bound to provide temporary accommodation to families and individuals who meet certain legislative criteria if they have no alternative housing. Who meets these criteria is for the assessment of the Local Authority.
Once these duties have been triggered, they can be ended for a variety of reasons and potentially at short notice. This includes failing to keep to the terms of any accommodation agreement you have, so make sure you have carefully read and understood your responsibilities.
Depending on the type of occupation agreement you have, and depending on the duty which you are provided with accommodation means that the notice the council must give to end the accommodation varies.
The type of accommodation you are provided depends on your circumstances. If you think it doesn’t meet your needs, make sure that the council has all the relevant information about your needs. A Council can only consider circumstances they have been made aware of.
Charges
You may be responsible to pay rent, a service charge towards shared bills and/or Council Tax whilst in temporary accommodation. Your occupation agreement should clearly set this out.
If you are on a low income, then you should ensure you have claimed Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support and made sure that you provided all the required evidence. If you are paying off an overpayment of a previous Housing Benefit, you may have to pay a greater rent top up.
Income Maximizing
If you are struggling to pay your temporary accommodation charges, speak to your housing officer in the first instance. If you need help managing your finances you can complete a budget planner to help to maximize your income at folkestoneandhythehomelessness.entitledto.co.uk.
Why is it ‘temporary’?
Depending on the outcome of your homeless application, you may or may not be owed a duty to be rehoused. As this is such an important issue, we advise you not to wait for this outcome and you will have been given advice by the Council on how to secure you own accommodation, including any assistance available to help you do this. The more action you take now, the greater the options you have as councils are only obliged to make 1 offer of suitable accommodation and this may not meet your personal preferences, even if you are owed a rehousing duty.
Looking for affordable private rented accommodation
This is likely to be your fastest solution to securing somewhere to live in the local area. Finances are often the biggest barrier so make sure you have followed the advice above and if you are still struggling you might need to look in more affordable areas of the country. For more information on the ways to secure private rented accommodation visit https://www.kenthomechoice.org.uk/content/private-renting.
Moving In – Tips
- Make a note of your meter readings for any utilities you have to pay
- Make a note of when you submitted any Housing Benefit and Council Tax claims
- Add the landlord or council’s number to report any maintenance issues to your phone
- Make sure you know what information the Council is waiting for – if any – and any deadline to provide this by. If you know you won’t meet the deadline, call them and discuss.
- Do you know where to put your rubbish and what day the bins are collected?
- Are you responsible for maintaining a garden?
- Do you know how, where and when to pay your rent?
- Do you know your nearest fire exit?
- Are there specific conditions for visitors?
Moving On - Tips
- Make a note of your meter readings when you leave for any utilities you must pay
- Update the relevant council’s benefit team when you moved out, if you are in receipt of housing benefit and council tax.
- Have you left the property in a clean and tidy condition?
- If you have removed any furnishings, return them.
- Have you arranged with the council or the landlord to return the keys?
- Have you spoken to your housing officer to make sure they are aware you have left and provided forwarding details?
- Do you need to update your address with any banks, agencies or other services?
- Do you need furnishings or white goods for any new home?