Housing Advice Service

Barking and Dagenham

To help you we have outlined the different areas you are likely to have contact with in the Housing Advice Service, with a brief description of their duties.

Housing Advice and Homelessness Prevention Team|

Housing advisers provide free, responsive and complete housing advice and help to anyone who could be homeless or threatened with homelessness.

Their main aim is to prevent homelessness wherever possible and to assess whether people are eligible for housing, homeless and in priority need - as defined by the Housing Act 1996, Part VII (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002).

This team carries out detailed interviews with applicants. They also offer monthly advice surgeries at the Gascoigne and Thames View advice centres and the women's refuge in Barking and Dagenham.

Homeless Assessment Team|

All homelessness applications made to us are looked at by our Homeless Assessment Officers.

Homeless assessment officers are responsible for investigating homeless applications. They provide a legal duty under the Housing Act 1996, Part VII (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002).

This team prevents homelessness by working closely with the Housing Advice and Prevention Team and the Housing Options Team. They also provide advice and help to people applying as homeless.

Housing Options Team|

This team provides housing solutions other than council accommodation to homeless and people who could become homeless through advice, referrals and help.

Housing options officers may visit you to confirm that you are homeless and, where possible, discuss other ways of helping you deal with your housing problems.

They also offer mediation (a service to try to settle issues) through a service called Relate.

Accommodation Services|

Accommodation Services provide temporary accommodation and support to homeless households while we are assessing their homelessness application.

This team manages our homeless persons' hostel, Private Sector Licensing Scheme and other forms of temporary accommodation. This team also provides ongoing support to vulnerable people in temporary accommodation and if necessary, for a short period into permanent accommodation, to help them keep their tenancy and live independently.

Choice Assessment Team|

This team assesses all requests for rehousing including More Choice in Lettings, sheltered housing, mutual exchanges requests from Registered Social Landlords and special schemes referred by other agencies.

Home Choice Lettings Team|

This team offers all council and housing-association properties available in the borough to people who are eligible. Most council and housing-association properties are advertised in our property magazine, which we publish each week.

Once we have accepted your application for housing, and given you a registration number, you can bid for properties of your choice. The Choice Assessment Team checks that the successful bidders are eligible and invites them to look at the property. You may view the property along with several other people at once.

The Choice Assessment Team make offers directly to certain people as set out in council policy, and identify suitable properties for elderly people who need an adapted property.

Private Sector Team|

The private sector housing team aims to ensure safe and healthy homes for all the residents of the borough.

How can I complain?

If you need to complain about our service, please see our online information or look out for the booklet 'How can I complain?' which you can get from any council department or by contacting the Corporate Complaints Team.