Homelessness prevention advice and support Are you building up rent arrears, being threatened with eviction, struggling with housing benefits, experiencing anti-social behaviour or harassment, living in overcrowded, unsuitable or unsafe accommodation or in any situation that means you are worried about losing your home? We can help you: Call: 01494 447699 (Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm) Email: [email protected] Use our online contact form by clicking here We are here for your with our FREE homelessness prevention services. When you get in touch, a member of our team will ask questions about your situation and help you work out what your options are. If you haven’t already, you should speak to Buckinghamshire Council. They have investigative powers and may have a legal duty to help you. We can help you over the phone, by email, by video conference and can arrange to see you face-to-face if needed. Let us know what works for you. You may be invited to our housing legal clinic to speak with our panel that includes a housing solicitor, a housing benefits specialist from the Wycombe Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme and our advocacy team. Typical housing related issues that we can help with include: Rent arrears Eviction, threatened and illegal Eviction notices – we can look at whether they are legal and what you can do if you have been served a notice Court proceedings on housing matters e.g. possession claims, injunctions, warrants of eviction Housing benefit problems Anti-social behaviour Homelessness applications, decisions, reviews and appeals Immigration issues – is your immigration status preventing you getting access to public housing or funds Bedroom tax issues Overcrowded accommodation Unsuitable and unsafe accommodation, disrepair Housing-related family law problems Housing-related domestic violence impact Landlord harassment Unprotected deposits Allocation of social housing Tenancy succession issues Equality Act duties of housing associations and local authorities We do this by providing free support including A wide range of legal advice from a housing solicitor Advice on housing-related benefits and how to reduce rent arrears from an experienced practitioner Case support services Helping you understand and secure your housing rights We also can accompany clients to court and help you to prepare their defence for hearings related to your housing crisis and assist you to make appeals against statutory decisions relating to your housing crisis. Here are some important things you need to know if you are a tenant and are at risk of losing your home. Always put your safety first. You have rights. Most tenants cannot be evicted until a court says so. If you have to leave your home to keep safe, do so, but read on for more information. Illegal evictions and harassment from your landlord are crimes. If you are being illegally evicted or harassed call Buckinghamshire Council who can investigate, tell your landlord to stop and take action if the harassment continues. Don't leave your home just because you've been told to. Doing so when you don't have to may affect your rights to help getting somewhere else. Try to keep hold of all the paperwork related to your tenancy and deposit.