Taken from Citizens Advice website
Housing - In England
I had to leave my last home and now I have nowhere to live. Do the local council have to re-house me?
This information applies to England and Wales
Local authorities have a legal duty to give help and advice to most people who are homeless, but they do not have to provide accommodation for everyone. If you have just arrived in the UK or you have just returned after living abroad, you may not be eligible for re-housing.
The local authority will check that you are actually homeless or about to become homeless. If you have a home somewhere else, where you could reasonably live, you will not be treated as homeless. The local authority will also have to decide whether you or someone in your household is vulnerable. This is called being in priority need.
You will be in priority need if you are pregnant or have children, if you are young person of 16 or 17, or a young person aged 18,19 or 20 who has recently been looked after by social services. You will also be in priority need if your home has been affected by an emergency such as fire or flood. You could also be a priority if you have been in the armed forces, in prison or had to leave your last home because of domestic or racial violence. You may also be in priority need because of old age, poor mental or physical health, or because you have a physical disability.
You must not have lost your home because of something that you deliberately did or failed to do. For example, if you were evicted from your home because of anti-social behaviour you could be classed as intentionally homeless. The local authority will also check that you have a connection with the local area. This may be because you normally live, work or have family there. If they decide that you have a local connection with another area, they may refer you to that local authority instead.
If you are found to be homeless, in priority need and not intentionally homeless, the local authority may give you temporary accommodation until they can offer you other accommodation which will bring their duty to re-house you to an end. They don't have to provide accommodation from their own properties. They can house you in various ways, for example, by referring you to a housing association, or arranging accommodation with a private landlord.
For more information on being re-housed by the local authority, see Finding accommodation
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