The Housing Act 1996 (c. 52) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Part VI of the act concerns permanent allocation of housing, while part VII concerns the duties that a local authority has towards homeless people and when these duties arise.
Provisions Section 1 established a register of social landlords, to be maintained by the Housing Corporation.UK Legislation, Housing Act 1996 as enacted, section 1, accessed on 11 February 2025
Sections 175(3) and 191(1) concern the circumstances in which a person currently in accommodation may also be considered "homeless". The circumstances would depend on whether it is "reasonable to continue to occupy" the accommodation.Fullwood, A. and Jackson, H., Homelessness – when is enough, enough?, The Law Society Gazette, published on 16 July 2009, accessed on 11 February 2025 Case law (Moran v Manchester City Council, 2009 UKHL 36) has confirmed that a woman living in a refuge who has left her home because of domestic violence remains homeless.
Section 189 concerns the "priority need" hurdle that a homelessness application must pass for a council to have a duty to provide interim accommodation.
See also Homelessness Act 2002
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