Have you been asked to leave by your parent(s) or friend(s)?

This topic is for those people who have been living with parents, other relatives or guardians, or with friends - and the relationship has broken down.

If your relationship with a partner has broken down, there is a different topic on Relationship Breakdown.

What the council will do

If you have been living in the family home all your life, it is not unreasonable to expect your parent(s) to give you a bit of time to find your own accommodation, if you are not getting on. If we think it is safe for you to stay for a while longer, we will usually negotiate with your parents, whilst seeing if we can help you to find somewhere else to live. It will be much better for you if we have enough time to find the right place for you to stay.

We may also bring in a mediator to try and sort things out between you. This is because it is generally better for you in the long term, to improve your relationship with your parent(s) or guardian(s), whether or not you are still living with them. If you find somewhere else to live and are living on your own, you will need a lot of help and support.

Temporary accommodation

If we need to help you with temporary accommodation, some information about what it may be like is available, see Temporary Accommodation.

Housing Benefit

If you are under 35, and you need to claim Housing Benefit to help you pay the rent, you will only be able to claim an amount to cover the cost of a room in a shared house. Unless you are able to pay the difference between this level of benefit and the actual rent, this will limit where you can live. To see some advice on finding a flatshare, see finding a flatshare.