The Housing Options Service can provide advice and assistance to anyone who is experiencing problems with their accommodation.  If you have received a notice to quit from your landlord, have mortgage or rent arrears or are experiencing any other housing associated problem, it is important that you seek advice as soon as possible. 

We hold drop-in advice sessions on the following days and times:

• Tuesday morning 10.00 - 12.00 at the Council Offices in Kirkby-in-Ashfield
• First & third Thursday each month from 10.00 - 11.30 at the Council Offices, Watnall Road, Hucknall
• Second & fourth Thursday each month from 10.00 - 11.30 at the Council Offices, Fox Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield

You do not need an appointment to attend any of the sessions, just come along.  We see people in the order that they arrive and will speak to you in an interview room to ensure confidentiality.  Most interviews will only take around 20 minutes but if your situation is more complex then we will arrange a further appointment for you to return and discuss your issues in more detail with an officer. 

It is our aim to help you to stay in your accommodation and we will be happy to contact your landlord or mortgage provider to negotiate on your behalf.  We have a range of homelessness prevention initiatives that we can utilise to assist you if you are in danger of losing your accommodation:

• Specialist Debt Advice
• Mortgage Rescue Scheme
• Bond Guarantee Scheme
• Sanctuary Scheme
• Repossession Prevention Fund
• Referrals for Tenancy Support
• Referrals to supported accommodation    

If you have nowhere to stay tonight you may be eligible to be provided with emergency accommodation however this will depend on your personal circumstances.  The Council does not have a duty to provide emergency accommodation to everyone who is homeless and you will need to contact the Housing Options Service to establish whether you meet the criteria for accommodation to be provided. 

You will not be eligible for assistance from the Housing Options Service if:

• you are from abroad and subject to immigration control
• you are from abroad and you are not habitually resident in the UK
• you are a British citizen but you have not been habitually resident in the UK for a number of years

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact the Housing Options Section. We will ask you to provide identification in the form of a passport, driving licence or birth certificate.

You may be considered to have a priority need if you:

• are homeless because of an emergency (e.g. fire, flood)
• have dependent children
• are pregnant
• are aged 16/17 years old
• are aged between 18 and 20 and have formerly been in "Care"

You may also have a priority under the Homelessness Act (2002) if you are considered "vulnerable". To determine if you are vulnerable we may request information from other agencies including supporting letters.

To be provided with temporary accommodation you must be deemed to have a priority need.

You may be considered to be homeless if any of the following apply to you either now or in the next 28 days:

• You and your family have nowhere that you can stay together
• You no longer have a legal right to stay in your home
• You have somewhere to live but cannot gain entry to it
• You have fled your home through fear of violence
• Your home is a caravan or boat and you have nowhere to legally place it and live in it

There may be other situations that apply to you which are not listed here. Each applicant will have individual circumstances that we will take into account.

Intentionally homeless

The council will not have a duty to provide housing for you if you are found to be intentionally homeless. You may be found intentionally homeless if you have deliberately done something or failed to do something which has caused you to become homeless. For example, if you lose your home because you did not pay your rent or mortgage despite being able to afford to do so.

We will always give you advice and assisstance to help you find somewhere else to live.

Local connection

When you make a homelessness application there are five tests that we will apply to your circumstances in order to decide if the Council has a duty to provide housing to you. The final test will be whether you have a local connection to the district. You will be considered to have a local connection if any of the following apply to you:

• You have lived in the Ashfield area for 6 out of the last 12 months or 3 out of the last 5 years
• Your mother, father, brother, sister or adult children have been living in the district of Ashfield for the last 5 years
• We may decide that you have special circumstances that give you a local connection, for example, if you have permanent employment in the district and have worked there for at least six months 

Whatever your reason for local connection we will need to be able to confirm this through official records. For example, if your connection is through your own residency in the district we will confirm this through Council Tax Records. Similarly if your family is your connection, we will need to be able to confirm that they have resided in the district for five years. For local connection through employment we will write to your employer for confirmation of your emplyment.

What Happens Next?

When you approach the Housing Options Service for advice or assisitance we will follow the process below:

1. If your first visit to us is not to one of our drop-in advice sessions, you will first be seen by a member of the Housing Options Team for a triage assessment of your circumstances. If this indicates that you need further advice then an appointment will be made to see either a Housing Options Officer or the Homelessness Prevention Officer (dependant on your situation).
2. The information that you provide us with will enable us to give you the best advice for your circumstances. If we feel that all your options have been exhausted you may need to make an homelessness application; in this situation and appointment will be made for you to return for a homlessness interview. Please allow at least 1 hour for this appointment.
3. The Housing Options Service operates an appointment system whch may mean that if you approach us without an appointment and are homeless that night you will be asked to wait until a Housing Options Officer is available to see you or you may be asked to return at a later time in the day.

Homelessness Strategy

Ashfield's Homelessness Strategy 2008 - 2011

For further information on homelessness, please contact the Senior Homelesssness Officer on 01623 457260 or see Housing Options section for alternative contact details.

Further Information

This information does not cover every eventuality and if you need any further advice please contact the Housing Options section either by phone or by coming into the offices.

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