Are you worried about housing costs or losing your home?

Contact our housing advice line

We can help you, whether you are:

• privately renting
• renting from a housing association
• a homeowner
• a landlord or
• a lettings agent

Read our advice if you are homeless or at risk of losing your home.

Further support

Working in partnership with Citizens Advice and Shelter, we are joining together to offer help and support to those struggling with their housing costs. All three organisations offer housing advice and support, and it doesn’t matter where you start your journey because we know that we are stronger working together to help you.

We all want you to be able to stay in your home, but we know that, at times, paying your rent or mortgage can be really challenging, especially at the moment, with all the other costs of living impacting on the money you have available.

Your housing costs are a priority payment, and we want to make sure that they are manageable for you and where they are not, help you look at what the options are available to you.

The important thing is to get help as early as possible.

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice have a large range of advisors that can support you with different issues. They also employ specialist debt, housing and welfare advisors who may be able to help you navigate the difficult processes of addressing debts or making benefit claims. 

For support visit the Citizens Advice website or telephone 0800 144 8848.

Shelter

Shelter provide free housing advice to those in need. You can self-refer if:

• you are homeless
• have nowhere to stay tonight
• are worried about losing you home
• are at risk of harm or abuse in your home

by calling their emergency national helpline on 0808 8004444 during opening hours.

You can also use their online advice to help with your housing rights and the next steps to take in your situation. 

Use their webchat function if you need help to take the next steps, or prefer not to call. 

Shelter’s Legal Aid Legal Service

Shelter’s legal team can help you if you are eligible for Legal Aid, for example, if you need to go to court about a housing problem or to challenge a decision.

You need to make an appointment to speak to their legal team. To make an appointment with the legal team based in Bournemouth, please call 0344 515 1777 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. This number is for new legal appointments only.

Financial support

Entitlement to benefits

You can do a quick self-assessment using the Policy in Practice’s Better Off Calculator. This will help you find out if you can get more financial support based on your current situation.

If you think you are entitled to more support, you can contact Citizens Advice or contact us for help.

You can also use the GOV.UK benefit calculator to check what support you might get.

We assess claimants for a range of benefits such as:

• Council Tax Support
• Housing Benefit
• Emergency Local Assistance Fund

Discretionary Housing Payments

Discretionary Housing Payments can provide extra financial support to help with rent or housing costs. It is for those receiving Housing Benefit or the Housing Element of Universal Credit. It is a limited and discretionary fund. Each application is considered on its own merits. Support is usually given in the short term to give you time to sort out your financial or housing circumstances. This is useful if you are trying to find alternative, affordable accommodation.