Homeless or About to Be? What Your Council Must Do

A person is threatened with homelessness if likely to become homeless within 56 days; a valid Housing Act 1988 notice also counts if its date falls within 56 days. You are homeless if you have no accommodation you have a legal right to occupy that is accessible and available to your household and reasonable to continue living in. source

Prevention duty: applies to eligible people threatened with homelessness, regardless of priority need, intentionality or local connection, for 56 days. Relief duty: for people already homeless, 56 days, with interim accommodation if the council has reason to believe you are eligible and in priority need. Main housing duty: owed to those eligible, in priority need and not intentionally homeless, if homelessness was not prevented or relieved. source

Includes pregnant women, families with children, people homeless due to domestic abuse, emergencies such as fire or flood, people made vulnerable by age, mental ill health, disability, prison, care or violence, homeless 16 and 17 year olds, and care leavers aged 18 to 20. source

You can ask for a review of most decisions. If still dissatisfied you can appeal to the county court on a point of law. Bed and breakfast is not suitable for families with children or pregnant women except where nothing else is available, and then for a maximum of 6 weeks. Certain persons from abroad are not eligible except for free advice. source