About us and our statutory duties
The Housing Advisory Service supports people who are ‘homeless’ or ‘threatened with homelessness’.
We work with other council services, and with local charities and partners.
However, our statutory duties and responsibilities determine who we help, and the kind of support we can offer.
Our housing placement policy for homeless households
Being homeless does not mean you will get council or social housing (Localism Act 2011).
If we have a statutory duty to offer you housing, that housing will be private-rented accommodation. Also, you will only get one offer of suitable housing from us.
There is a severe lack of affordable rented homes in the borough. This means that, if we offer you emergency or other housing, you will probably have to move out of London to somewhere farther away.
Homelessness advice
Avoid becoming homeless – act now
There are several ways you could avoid becoming homeless. For example, you could get help with:
Start with our online advice service
There is a very high demand for homelessness help in Enfield. For faster advice, please start with our free online housing advice tool.
Our online advice service is anonymous – you do not need to say who you are or where you live. It has a wide range of information and links to resources.
Check if you are eligible for homelessness help from the council
We can only support eligible people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.
You could be ‘homeless’ if you:
- have no home in the UK or elsewhere that you have a legal right to occupy
- have a movable home, such as a boat or caravan, and there is nowhere you can legally put it
- are at risk of harm if you stay in your current home
You could be ‘threatened with homelessness’ if you:
- are likely to become homeless in 56 days
- have received a valid notice to quit (for example, a section 21 notice)
- have received a notice of seeking possession (NOSP), and this notice expires within 56 days
If you are not a British or Irish national, we will need more information from you to decide how we can help you. The charity ‘Shelter’ has guidance on homeless applications (immigration and residence).
How to contact us for homelessness advice or help
It is important that you do not wait until you are homeless before you ask us for help. You need to get help as soon as you know you might become homeless.
Contact your caseworker
If you're already registered with us, please contact your caseworker for help. Their phone number should be at the bottom of the email they have sent you.
Get general advice
Please start with our online advice service. You will get immediate advice on different housing and homelessness topics.
If you need to contact us, you can email housingadviceservice@enfield.gov.uk. We aim to respond to emails within 5 working days.
For emergency homelessness support, phone 020 3821 1769 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or 020 8379 1000 (when our service is closed).
Our phone lines are very busy. If you have a caseworker, please contact them directly for help. It is also faster to use our online advice service to get general advice.
Coming to our offices
You should only come to our offices if we have agreed an appointment with you.
In-person appointments are available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 4:30pm. Thursday appointments are only available from 12 noon to 4:30pm.
The last appointment time is 4:30pm.
If you arrive after 4:30pm, you must arrange another appointment. For help, you can also phone our out-of-hours service on 020 8379 1000.
If you come to our offices without an appointment, you might not be seen or you might have to wait a long time.
Public authorities – make a referral under duty to refer
Do you work for one of the public organisations in the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017? To tell us if someone you are supporting is homeless or at risk of homelessness, please make a referral under ‘duty to refer’.
Other homelessness help
Advice and links to further homelessness help if you are: