Housing Act 1996 (Part VII – Homelessness)

Summary

Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 is the statutory safety net for homelessness in England. It sets out the duties a local housing authority owes to people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness: to make inquiries into eligibility and the circumstances (s.184), to provide interim accommodation where the applicant may have a priority need (s.188), and — for those who are eligible, in priority need, and not intentionally homeless — to secure suitable accommodation under the main housing duty (s.193). It defines homelessness and threatened homelessness (s.175) and the categories of priority need (s.189). Since the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 the authority also owes earlier prevention and relief duties to all eligible applicants, supported by personalised housing plans and a duty on other public bodies to refer those at risk. This page focuses on Part VII specifically; the full Housing Act 1996 entry covers allocation (Part VI) and tenancy provisions.

Key Points

• Defines homelessness and threatened homelessness
• Establishes priority need categories
• Main housing duty for unintentionally homeless persons in priority need
• Amended by Homelessness Reduction Act 2017

Parts & Sections

Amendments History