🏠 You Need to Move Out of NASS Housing
If you are a refugee and have just received your decision letter 📨, you must move out of your NASS accommodation within 56 days. Start looking for a new home right away.
📍 Where to Go for Help
🧑💼 Leeds Housing Options, Go to Leeds Housing Options to ask for a Homelessness Assessment. This will help the Council understand how they can support you.
📍 Visit in Person:
- Merrion House: 110 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 8BB
- 🕘 Open:
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 9am – 4pm
- Tuesday: 10am – 4pm
- 🌐 Online Visit: Leeds Housing Options Website
- 📞 Call: 0113 222 4412
🆘 Extra Advice:
Shelter also gives housing advice, but you must still go to Leeds Housing Options in person for help with housing.
📄 What to Bring With You
- Both your eVisa (on your phone or printed screenshot) and your expired BRP (if you have)
- Your Home Office letter (proving refugee status)
- Any letter that says when you must leave your current home 🏘️
- Medical letters if you have mental or physical health needs
💡 What Help Can You Get?
The help you get depends on your situation. Leeds Housing Options might:
- ✅ Offer emergency housing (based on your needs and family size)
- ✅ Give you advice on finding housing (like websites to look at)
- ✅ Tell you about Housing Benefit and how much you’ll need to pay yourself
- ✅ Help with money for rent in advance or a bond (deposit)
👉 The following information is taken from this document produced by Leeds City Council in October 2024.
🏡 Social Housing
Social housing is affordable housing managed by the council or housing associations.
📝 How to Apply:
Go to the Leeds Homes website and fill in the form. Provide:
- ID for everyone in your household
- Proof of child benefit or tax credits (if you have kids)
⚠️ Many people are waiting: over 25,000 people and only about 5,000 homes become free each year. It might take years to get a house, even if you have priority.
🗓️ You can bid for 3 council homes and 3 housing association homes every week.
🗺️ Use the Social Housing Picker on the Leeds Homes website to see waiting times in different areas.
🏘️ Private Renting
You don’t have to wait for social housing to find an affordable home. Renting from a private landlord is often the fastest way to get a new home. A private landlord is someone who owns homes that they rent to people. There are many private rental homes in Leeds, and you can choose where you want to live. Some areas in Leeds have more private homes, and some are cheaper than others.
✅ Benefits of Private Renting:
- No waiting lists
- Choose where to live
- Different types of homes
- Homes usually come with furniture, carpets, and appliances
- You may get Housing Benefit to help pay the rent
🔍 Where to Find Private Rentals:
Other places to look:
- 📰 Local newspapers and magazines: These often have sections with adverts for rental homes and shared flats.
- 🪧 Windows and noticeboards: Some landlords and people looking for flatmates advertise in places like shops, community centres, libraries, bookshops, and newsagents.
- 👥 Personal contacts: Ask friends, family, or work colleagues if they know of any homes available for rent.
- 🧑⚕️ Local services and day centres: These places might have lists of local landlords, letting agents, and lodging schemes. Landlords sometimes contact them when they have a place to rent.
🤝 Tips for Finding a Home
👉 Reply Quickly: Homes go fast! Contact landlords quickly.
🏠 Viewing a property:
- Always visit the property to check it exists and is in good condition.
- Don’t agree to rent a property until you’ve seen it.
- Bring someone with you for safety and a second opinion.
- Arrive 5 minutes early.
- Be polite, ask questions about any issues instead of making demands.
- Show that you’re interested.
- Answer questions, but don’t share too much personal information.
✅ Check:
- Doors and locks work
- Heating, plumbing, and lights
- Gas Safety Certificate
- Furniture condition
- Area safety
- If shared: meet other tenants
📁 Documents You Might Need
- Photo ID (passport or driver’s license)
- Proof you can rent in the UK
- Bank statements or pay slips
- Proof of benefits
- Employment contract (if you have one)
🧾 References and Rent Guarantor, Some landlords ask for:
- References from a past landlord or employer
- A Guarantor – someone who agrees to pay your rent if you can’t
💵 Proving You Can Afford Rent
Show the landlord you can pay rent:
- Payslips or bank statements
- Proof of benefits (ask Jobcentre or DWP)
- Use a benefits calculator to check what you’re entitled to, like Turn2us
🏷️ Housing Benefit (from April 2024)
Household | Weekly | Monthly |
| Single under 35 | £80.00 | £347.62 |
| Single 35+ | £155.34 | £674.99 |
| 2 Bedrooms | £178.36 | £775.02 |
| 3 Bedrooms | £195.62 | £850.02 |
| 4 Bedrooms | £276.16 | £1,199.98 |
💰 Bond (Deposit) Help
A bond is money the landlord asks before you move in. Leeds City Council can help with this if you are at risk of homelessness. If you are at risk of becoming homeless and need help with a bond (deposit), you must first have an assessment with Leeds Housing Options. This meeting helps the Private Lettings Team understand your situation and find a home that is right for you and affordable. Every bond request is looked at one by one, because everyone’s needs are different.
✅ What You Need to Tell the Private Lettings Team? To apply for help with a bond, you need to give the team this information:
- 💷 Can you afford the home?
- 🏠 Will the landlord let the Council do an inspection of the home?
- 📍 What is the address of the property?
- 📞 Landlord or letting agent’s contact details (phone number and email).
- 🛏️ How many bedrooms does the home have?
- 💸 How much is the rent each month?
- 🔐 How much is the bond (deposit) the landlord is asking for?
👀 View the Property First
- 📸 The team says you should look at the home in person before you ask for help with a bond.
- 📍 If the property is outside Leeds, like in Bradford or Wakefield, the team may still help with the bond — but only if:
- The rent is not too high (it must match the local housing benefit rate),
- AND the landlord does not need an inspection.
🧾 Property Inspections
If an inspection is needed:
- 🏡 The property must be empty (no one living there) so the inspection can happen.
- ❌ If someone is already living in the home, the Council can’t do the inspection.
- ⚠️ If you move in before the inspection, Leeds Housing Options cannot give you the deposit money.
- 📞 Please speak to your caseworker before moving in. They can help arrange the inspection first.
To start a bond request, email: [email protected]
Include:
- Your name and Leeds Homes reference
- Landlord’s name and contact
- Property address
- Rent and deposit amount
📃 Tenancy Agreement
When you move into a private rented home, you must sign a Tenancy Agreement. It shows your rights and your landlord’s responsibilities.
🛠️ Already Renting and Having Problems?
Leeds City Council can help if:
- Your landlord isn’t doing repairs
- You’re being harassed
- You’re facing eviction
👉 Visit: Help for Private Tenants – Leeds.gov.uk
🧑💼 Need More Support?
RETAS Leeds (for Refugees), They can help with:
☎️ 0113 380 5630
📧 [email protected]
🖥️ retasleeds.co.uk
💡 Other Important Things
- You probably won’t get council housing quickly
- Refugee status doesn’t mean you get priority
- If you are single and healthy, the council may suggest a shared house
- Tell the Homeless Officer if you have disabilities or need special housing
- You might qualify for an Integration Loan to help with costs like deposits or furniture
🧑⚖️ Free Legal Advice
Citizens Advice Leeds or Find an Immigration Adviser here Gov.uk
In Person
- Oxford House, Leeds LS1 3BE (City Centre)
- Willow House, LS7 4BZ (North Leeds)
- 📞 Phone: 0808 278 7878 (9am – 5pm)
- Online Check: Immigration Advisers
- Bring With You: Your documents and details of your e-Visa
