Get help with homelessness
Please contact us immediately if you think you are at risk of losing your home. You can contact the service by registering for housing advice.
Read the homelessness privacy notice to find out how your data is used.
Once you have registered you can log into the housing advice portal below:
A member of the team will contact you shortly and an appointment will be made with the appropriate officer. You will be advised of the documents and information that you will need to bring with you to this appointment.
If you have difficulties completing the form, please contact us on 020 7641 1000 and we will be happy to help. If English is not your first language and you need some help with translating or an interpreter, then please speak to the Housing Solutions Service who can arrange this for you.
Please call us between the hours of 9pm and 5pm Monday to Friday and from midday to 5pm on every first and last Wednesday of the month.
If you need urgent assistance and want to make a homeless application, please complete the ‘register for housing advice’ form above.
Alternatively, if you wish to apply for social housing as a homeless person, please visit How to apply for social housing and complete the online application.
We have recently changed our Allocation Scheme so that applicants owed a Relief Duty can now apply to join the housing register. For further information please see the FAQ’s below.
FAQ
What is changing and why?
Due to a recent legal ruling, homeless households owed the Relief Duty will now be able to join the Housing Register and be eligible for social housing. Previously, our Allocation Scheme stated that this was only possible if a full housing duty was accepted. The reason for this change is that households owed the Relief Duty are vulnerable because they are homeless so should be added to the Housing Register, however applicants will have fewer points than other groups as they generally have less needs compared with the other 4,000 households registered for social housing.
Those currently registered include homeless households owed the full housing duty and households that need to move for other urgent reasons, for example because they are overcrowded or for health reasons. With only around 660 social housing lets each year, it is necessary to prioritise households with the greatest need.
How will this affect me if I’m owed the Relief Duty?
Everyone owed the Relief Duty will now be able to apply to join the Housing Register. However, demand for social housing is extremely high and there are already around 4,000 households registered for social housing and approximately 600 social homes becoming available each year. Households already registered have priority points ranging from 50 to 605 depending on their priority need.
If you are a homeless household owed the Relief Duty and are joining the Housing Register, you will have 20 points which is the lowest level overall and it means that your chances of being offered social housing are very limited. This is because it is necessary to prioritise those with the highest needs for social housing due to the limited supply, such as people that are overcrowded, have health problems or that are owed the full housing duty. There are already people in these categories that have been waiting many years for social housing.
However, applicants can work with the Housing Solutions Service on a Personalised Housing Plan to help relieve their homelessness and find suitable accommodation that meets their needs.
What happens once I'm registered on the new list?
You will get a letter confirming your registration. You will be able to bid for properties that you are eligible for, however we cannot guarantee that you will be offered a property as there will be others registered with higher priority. Only the top 3-5 highest applicants will be shortlisted for a property. Please note that even those with higher priority wait many years for an offer of social housing.
How do I apply for the Housing Register as a Homeless Person?
You can apply to join the Housing Register using the link below;
Get help with homelessness | Westminster City Council
Are you completing a form on behalf of another person?
If you are completing this form on behalf of another person who is homeless, threatened with homelessness or requires housing advice, please ensure that you enter their email address when prompted to do so. This is important in case we need to contact that person by email for more information about their case. Also, every person who makes a homeless application or requires housing advice must have a valid email address to be able to access their online customer portal.
If the person on whose behalf you are completing this form does not have an email address, please ask (or assist) them to create one. If you have any queries about this, you may contact the Housing Solutions Service.
