Find a place to live

Print all pages

Moving out of your family home is a big change. It can cost a lot of money and might take some time to find somewhere to live.

Renting

If you rent a room, flat, or house, you pay money every month to the person who owns it (the landlord) or to an estate agent. You can look for places to rent by:

Going to local estate agents
Reading local newspapers
Checking these websites: Rightmove, Friday-Ad, Zoopla, PrimeLocation, OnTheMarket

Getting help to pay rent

If you lived in special supported housing before and got help with your rent, you may get help to pay for a room in a shared house or flat until you turn 35.

You can only get help to pay for your own one-bedroom flat if:

You are a care leader and are under 25
You live with a partner
You have a serious disability
You look after a child

If you have not got housing benefits before, you might get Universal Credit. This can give you money to help pay for your home. To see if you can get Universal Credit or need help to apply, use these links:

The amount of help you get depends on where you live. It is set by something called Local Housing Allowance rates. You can find out how much you will get using the Local Housing Allowance tool on the Direct Gov website.

Local Housing Allowance tool at Direct Gov

Social Housing (Council Houses)

Social housing, sometimes called ‘council’ housing, is cheaper for people with lower incomes. The council or groups called housing associations give people these homes.

You might have to wait a long time to get social housing because lots of people want it. How long you wait depends on where you live and your situation. For example, in Hastings, someone waiting for a one-bedroom flat might wait about 16 months.

To find out how long you might wait and how to sign up, contact your local housing team.