Rule Change Means Homelessness Advice Extension from April 2018

Clients living in England threatened with homelessness within 56 days are within scope for legal advice following implementation of housing legislation passed in April 2017.

Previously, clients in England were not entitled to legal advice until the threat of homelessness was within 28 days.

Providers will need to ensure that they are aware of the new rules for clients in England, which come into effect on 3 April 2018.

The change will mean that the definition is now consistent across both England and Wales. Legislation in Wales (Housing (Wales) Act 2014) introduced this change on 27 April 2015.

These changes were introduced under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, which received Royal Assent on 27 April 2017.