Contact the council
Tell the council you are homeless now or may lose your home within 56 days. Ask to make a homelessness application, not just for general advice.
Housing support
Housing problems: what to do next
Choose the situation that matches yours. The most urgent cases come first.
Unsafe or homeless tonight?Contact your council’s homelessness service now. Call 999 where there is immediate danger, violence, fire, gas or serious medical risk.
Urgent housing
Homeless, threatened with homelessness or unsafe
Explain urgency and vulnerability
State where you will sleep tonight and identify children, pregnancy, disability, illness, domestic abuse or any other safety risk.
Provide the key evidence
Send ID, tenancy or eviction papers, messages from the landlord, medical evidence and proof of household members. Do not delay first contact if documents are missing.
Ask for the decision in writing
Request written confirmation of what duty the council accepts, whether interim accommodation will be provided and what happens next.
Example wording
“I need to make a homelessness application. I may have nowhere safe to stay from [date]. My household includes [details]. The risks are [brief explanation]. Please confirm today what assessment will take place and whether emergency accommodation will be provided.”
Lewisham Council
Open the council website and search “homelessness” for current contact and out-of-hours details.
Open official service →Southwark Council
Open the council website and search “homelessness” for current contact and out-of-hours details.
Open official service →GOV.UK homelessness guide
Understand how to ask a council for help if homeless or at risk.
Open official service →Repairs and conditions
Repairs, damp, mould or hazards
Report it in writing
Use the landlord or housing provider’s repair system. Describe each defect, location, first date noticed and any effect on health or safety.
Take clear evidence
Photograph the whole room and close-ups. Keep videos, damaged-item receipts, humidity or temperature readings where available, and medical evidence.
State the risk
Say if there are young children, breathing problems, electrical risks, leaks, sewage, pests, structural movement or no heating/hot water.
Escalate if overdue
Chase with the repair reference. Use the landlord’s formal complaints process. Private tenants can also ask the council’s housing/environmental health team to inspect serious hazards.
Example repair report
“I am reporting damp and mould in [rooms]. It was first noticed on [date] and has worsened. The household includes [children/health issues]. Please inspect the cause, not only clean the surface, confirm any immediate safety measures and provide a repair timetable in writing.”
Evidence checklist
Photographs with datesRepair referencesEmails and call notesMedical evidenceDamaged belongingsRequested outcome
Private renting repairs
Read the GOV.UK overview of landlord and tenant repair responsibilities.
Open official service →Housing Ombudsman
For unresolved complaints about member social landlords after the landlord’s complaint process.
Open official service →Find your council
Locate the council responsible for environmental health or housing enforcement.
Open official service →Temporary accommodation
Problems with temporary accommodation
Separate urgent repairs from suitability
Report immediate defects through the repair route. For location, overcrowding, disability access, schooling or safety concerns, ask for a suitability review or written reassessment.
Explain the real impact
Give travel times, school disruption, medical needs, caring duties, harassment or accessibility problems with evidence.
Keep bidding and housing records
Save housing-register decisions, priority band, bidding history and every update from the council.
Use the complaint and review routes
Ask which decision can be formally reviewed and the deadline. Submit complaints separately where service failures or delays have occurred.
Example wording
“I am asking for a written review of whether this accommodation is suitable because [reasons]. The impact on my household is [details]. I attach [evidence]. Please confirm the review route, deadline and any interim action.”
Private renting
Eviction, deposit or landlord problems
Do not leave only because a notice arrives
A notice does not always mean you must leave immediately. Get advice before surrendering the tenancy or handing back keys.
Check the paperwork
Keep the tenancy agreement, deposit information, notices, rent statements and messages. Check dates and whether court papers have been issued.
Contact the council early
Approach the homelessness service as soon as eviction is threatened; do not wait until bailiffs are due.
Get independent advice
Use Citizens Advice, Shelter or a housing solicitor for case-specific advice, especially when court deadlines apply.
Escalation
When nobody responds
1. Initial report
Get a reference and expected response date.
2. Formal complaint
State what happened, impact, evidence and remedy.
3. Final landlord/council response
Ask for the next review or ombudsman route.
4. External escalation
Use the correct ombudsman, regulator, court or advice service.
Important: Review, appeal and court deadlines can be short. The guide is a starting point; seek qualified advice promptly where a formal decision or possession case is involved.