Housing

 

1.Eligibility for legal aid

 
The survivor has to meet both of these two criteria:

a.    Have a type of case for which legal aid is available (‘in scope’ for legal aid) 

b.    Come within the financial means test

 

  • The following categories of cases are in scope for legal aid:

    • Homelessness applications to council housing department

    • Allocation of social housing by a local housing authority, including transfers

    • Loss of home through mortgage repossession (under debt legal aid, only via Legal Aid Agency telephone gateway tel: 0345 345 4345 - very few are granted legal aid)

    • Loss of rented home (as a result of rent arrears, alleged anti-social behaviour or other allegations)

    • Claims for unlawful evictions

    • Protection from harassment injunction in the County Court

    • Occupation orders – these are obtained in the Family Court and come under family law legal aid for injunctions

  • The survivor will need to qualify financially for legal aid. There is a legal aid eligibility checker that members of the public can use, follow the link for ‘housing law’.

    If the survivor has a partner she lives with, their finances will also be assessed as part of hers. Home owners are not eligible if they have over £100,000 equity in their property.

2. Finding legal advice

 

    • Shelter
      They run housing advice centres around the country. Legal representation is provided both for those eligible for legal aid and those not eligible.

      Find out more via National housing advice helpline: 0808 800 4444

    • AdviceLocal search engine
      AdviceLocal have developed a map of advice services across the country assisting in social welfare law: welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, community care, asylum & immigration. (It does not include the main national organisations, advice services that are open for only a small number of hours a week and law clinics that don't provide a service in social welfare law). The services are mostly law centres, university law clinics, housing advice services and also legal aid solicitors who do social welfare law. Legal aid solicitos and some law centres will take on cases.

    If the survivor is not eligible for legal aid:

    • She can try contacting legal aid solicitors using the Gov.UK search engine and ask to pay privately.

    • Obtain a list of solicitors in different areas of law from the Law Society using “Find a Solicitor” – search by area of law and location.

     

    • Shelter
      Legal advice is available on housing law through the website, over the phone or in advice centres around the country. Legal representation is provided both for those eligible for legal aid and those not eligible. National housing advice helpline: 0808 800 4444
      Website contains general information about housing rights

    • Citizen’s Advice housing adviser
      Search the website your local Citizen’s Advice:

    • Praxis Community Projects
      Telephone advice service: 020 7749 7608 Wednesdays: 2pm – 4pm
      Telephone advice service can provide advice on welfare benefits, housing & homelessness, asylum support, and immigration matters.
      Email advice: advice@praxis.org.uk

    • LawWorks – national umbrella for pro bono services
      On the LawWorks website you can search for pro bono legal advice clinics around the country on different areas of law. Search “legal advice for individuals”, then “free advice clinics” – scroll down to the search function where you can enter the area of law and distance from home address.

      The website also has a useful section on “Going to Court without a Lawyer” – scroll down to the link to Advicenow’s website – this has a page on going to court or tribunal without a lawyer – with a link to a range of resources for litigants in person – for family court, civil court and tribunals.

    • Legal Advice Centre, University House, Bethnal Green
      18 Victoria Park Square E2 9PB
      104 Roman Road
      E2 0RN

      020 3606 0372 /  020 8980 4205

      A free advice clinic that takes referrals from all over London including face to face appointments.  They provide free legal advice for those who cannot afford to pay. They cover housing, welfare, benefits, employment and family law. They will act as Mckenzie friends and accompany through court process in some cases.

    • Community Links
      Advice agency based in Newham but provides advice remotely nationally on employment, housing and consumer law.
      Telephone: 020 7473 9681 

Need to contact us?

If you have looked at our signposting materials and you still want to contact us, you can send a message below. If you don’t feel that you can make a request in writing you can call us on 020 7092 1807 and leave a message and we will call you back. Please note that we don’t provide an emergency service so we may not be able to get back to you at busy periods for up to three working days. If your enquiry is not about violence against women and girls, then it is out of our remit and we won’t be able to assist.

 

a) ‘In scope’ for legal aid

The following categories of cases are in scope for legal aid:

  • Homelessness applications to council housing department

  • Loss of home through mortgage repossession
    (under debt legal aid, only via Legal Aid Agency telephone gateway tel: 0345 345 4345 - very few are granted legal aid)

  • Protection from harassment injunction in the County Court

  • Occupation orders – these are obtained in the Family Court and come under family law legal aid for injunctions

 

The following categories of cases are not in scope for legal aid:

  • Council and housing association tenant issues – e.g. allocations, transfers etc

 


b) Financial means test

 

The survivor will need to qualify financially for legal aid. There is a legal aid eligibility checker that members of the public can use, follow the link for ‘housing law’. If the survivor has a partner she lives with, their finances will also be assessed as part of hers. Home owners are not eligible if they have over £100,000 equity in their property.

 

a) Finding a solicitor to take on a case

 

  • Gov.UK legal aid lawyers search engine
    This is a directory of all solicitors with a legal aid contract around the country – enter the town or postcode and tick “housing”.

  • Shelter 
    They run housing advice centres around the country. Legal representation is provided both for those eligible for legal aid and those not eligible. Find out more via National housing advice helpline: 0808 800 4444

  • AdviceLocal search engine
    AdviceLocal have developed a map of advice services across the country assisting in social welfare law: welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, community care, asylum & immigration. (It does not include the main national organisations, advice services that are open for only a small number of hours a week and law clinics that don't provide a service in social welfare law). The services are mostly law centres, university law clinics, housing advice services and also legal aid solicitors who do  social welfare law. Legal aid solicitos and some law centres will take on cases.

 

If the survivor is not eligible for legal aid:

  • She can try contacting legal aid solicitors using the Gov.UK search engine (above) and ask to pay privately.

  • Obtain a list of solicitors in different areas of law from the Law Society using “Find a Solicitor” – search by area of law and location.

 

b) Obtaining pro bono advice:

 

  • Shelter 
    Legal advice is available on housing law through the website, over the phone or in advice centres around the country. Legal representation is provided both for those eligible for legal aid and those not eligible.
    National housing advice helpline: 0808 800 4444
    Website contains general information about housing rights

  • Praxis Community Projects
    Telephone advice service: 020 7749 7608
    Wednesdays: 2pm – 4pm
    Telephone advice service can provide advice on welfare benefits, housing & homelessness, asylum support, and immigration matters.
    Email advice: advice@praxis.org.uk

  • LawWorks – national umbrella for pro bono services
    On the LawWorks website you can search for pro bono legal advice clinics around the country on different areas of law. Search “legal advice for individuals”, then “free advice clinics” – scroll down to the search function where you can enter the area of law and distance from home address.
    The website also has a useful section on “Going to Court without a Lawyer” – scroll down to the link to Advicenow’s website – this has a page on going to court or tribunal without a lawyer – with a link to a range of resources for litigants in person – for family court, civil court and tribunals.

  • Legal Advice Centre University House, Bethnal Green
    18 Victoria Park Square E2 9PB
    104 Roman Road E2 0RN
    020 3606 0372 /  020 8980 4205
    A free advice clinic that takes referrals from all over London including face to face appointments.  They provide free legal advice for those who cannot afford to pay. They cover housing, welfare, benefits, employment and family law. They will act as Mckenzie friends and accompany through court process in some cases.

  • Community Links
    Advice agency based in Newham but provides advice remotely nationally on employment, housing and consumer law.
    Telephone: 020 7473 9681