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When a person is street-homeless, sofa-surfing, about to be evicted or in accommodation that is not reasonable to continue to occupy, they can approach their local authority and make a homeless application. This is usually an online application. For clients who cannot use online services, they can visit the Council offices for assistance or they can approach Citzens Advice for help.
Once a Homeless application is made, the Council will investigate the circumstances of the client and send forms for them to fill in and sign relating to medical information, consent forms and finances. If the Council has reason to believe the client has nowhere to stay and is in priority need, they will provide emergency accommodation. This can be anyhere around London and does not have to be in Wandsworth.
The Council will then make a decision if they owe the client a responsibility (“duty”) to prevent homelessless (Prevention Duty), relieve someone of homelessness (Relief Duty) or provide them permanent social housing (“the main duty”). This decision should be given to the client in writing. If the Council decides they owe the client the Relief Duty, they may refer the client to the Lettings team to help find private accommodation and encourage the client to look themselves. The Council may help by offering money towards Rent in Advance and a Deposit.
After 56 days, if the client is still homeless, the Council may decide to extend the Relief Duty period or decide that the client should be put in the Homeless Queue for social housing and provide longer-term temporary accommodation until the client is placed into permanent social housing.
Click the links below for more details
As Advice First Aiders, you can help a client apply to the council as homeless directly using the link below.
The client will need an email address in order to register online to submit the application, keep track of the application and upload documents.
Once a Homeless application is submitted, the client will be triaged by Wandsworth Council and a member of staff from the Homeless Prevention team will get in touch via email with documents to fill in and sign, a list of evidence the client needs to email back to them and to arrange an appointment to meet the client. You can help the client print and fill in these forms, or submit copies of the required documents to the council.
Evidence required:
- Identification – Driving Licence, Passport, Birth Certificate
- Proof of immigration status/nationality – Passport, Home Office documentation, Share Code for online visa,
- Proof of National Insurance number – Wage slip, Benefits letter
- Proof of Homelessness – Eviction notice, Tenancy agreement,
- Proof of income – Bank statements x6 months, Universal Credit statement or Wage slips for last 3 months
Please click the button below to start the Homeless Application with Wandsworth Council
When a person approaches the council as homeless, the council must explore if the client is vulnerable and therefore eligible for more assistance than the average person.
If the Council has reason to believe that someone is in Priority Need, they must offer the person emergency accommodation if the person is at risk of homelessness immediately. The emergency accommodation will last until the Council finish their assessment of the homeless application and make a decision on the application.
The Council also has a responsibility to offer long term housing under the Main Housing Duty if they find the client to be legally homeless, eligible for assistance, not intentionally homeless and in Priority Need.
People who are in Priority Need:
- At risk of abuse from a partner/family member – Automatically Priority Need
- Pregnant – Automatically Priority Need
- Dependent Children living with them – Automatically Priority Need
- Homeless due to fire, floor, other disaster – Autoatically Priority Need
- Care leaver aged 18-20 – Automatically Priority Need if in Care when 16/17 years old
- Vulnerable due to Health Conditions (Mental/Physical) – You must show proof of this, the Council will determine if you are at “greater risk of harm than the majority of people if homeless”
- Other Vulnerabilities – Frail due to old age, served in the Armed Forces, at risk of non-domestic violence, Drug and Alcohol abuse history, Have been in Prison , Evidence of this is required
A large proportion of housing enquiries we receive are related to Suitability of Accommodation. There are things you can do as Advice First Aiders and things the clients can do themselves to raise the issue of suitability with the Council:
Why Accommodation may be Unsuitable
- Location – Temporary accommodation is often outside of the borough . Guidance states a reasonable journey to school is 45 minutes each way for a child of primary school age and 75 minutes for a child of secondary school age. The Council should consider whether you are at risk of violence.
- Affordability – The Council is obliged to make any offer of accommodation affordable for the client.
- Your family’s medical needs/disabilities – If a home is medically unsuitable for a client, they should provide strong medical evidence to the council of this
- Serious disrepair – Long term serious disrepair can be grounds of unsuitable accommodation
Suitability of Emergency (Interim) Accommodation
- There are no review rights with challenging Suitability of Emergency Accommodation.
- A person can speak with the council to explain and provide evidence why the emergency accommodation is unsuitable. As Advice First Aiders, you can help the client speak to the council or send information showing why it is unsuitable
- If the Council say that it is suitable, this can only be challenged by Judicial Review through the courts a client will need a solicitor to assist.
Suitability of Temporary Acommodation
- It is recommended that when the client has been accepted as having the Main Housing Duty and is made an offer of Temporary Accommodation, they accept it and then ask for a Suitability Review in order to avoid any risks of the Council refusing their housing assistance. A client has 3 weeks from the date of the offer to request a review. Click Here for a template.
- A client who has been accepted under the Main Housing Duty and is asking for a Suitability review any time after 1 month of living there will need to report this online to Wandsworth Council who should then contact the client within 2 weeks to investigate further.
Suitability of Permanent Social Housing
- A client looking to move from one Social Housing to another due to suitability issues will need to apply for a Housing Transfer by filling out the Housng Options form online . They will then be invited to fill in a Housing Application form by the council. After this, they will be added to a Housing Transfer queue and be allocated points to determine priority in the queue.
- For clients who have been in temporary accommodation and are offered permanent accommodation they think is unsuitable, they should negotiate with the council and explain why the offer is unsuitable and provide evidence as soon as possible. Refusing the accommodation can risk the Council ending their duty and not offering anything further.
Suitability of Private Rented Accommodation
You should make a referral to our team when:
- A client receives a decision that they are not in Priority Need and believe they should be
- A client has been found to be Intentionally Homeless
- A client cannot apply online for homeless assistance themselves or attend the Council Offices in person
- A client has been informed they are not elgibile for housing assistance
- A client is fleeing domestic violence and needs urgent homeless assistance
- A client is in unsuitable accommodation and they have spoken to the council/submitted evidence already – our capacity to help with suitability of accommodation is limited and we ask that clients try to put their own case forward or that you may assist to submit evidence to the council of unsuitability before send a referral for this issue
