Finding a place to live

Contact the Housing Executive if you need a place to live or need advice on your housing options. 

Help if you are homeless or don’t have a suitable place to live

Contact the Housing Executive if you are homeless. You are homeless if:

• You have nowhere to stay or
• You have to leave your current home in the next 28 days or
• Your current home is so unsuitable for you that you can’t keep living there

The Housing Executive will talk to you to see how they can help. Housing Rights can explain your rights and what the Housing Executive should do to help you.

Discharge from hospital

When you are being discharged from hospital, your healthcare team should normally make sure that:

• You have a suitable place in supported housing or a care home if you cannot return to your former home or
• You have a suitable care package in place if you are returning to your former home but need extra support to manage

Hospitals are under huge pressure at the minute. This can mean you have to leave hospital before your support package is ready. Contact our Advocacy for All service if you feel you are being discharged too soon or that you don’t have the support you need to manage when you leave hospital.

Housing options

You can:

• Rent a property from a private landlord or through an agency
• Rent a property from the Housing Executive or a housing association
• Live in supported housing where you’ll get extra help and support to live independently
• Buy a home

Housing if you need support to live on your own

If you need extra help to live on your own, you can:

• Ask to live in supported housing, where you’ll have staff on site who can help you or
• Get a care package where people visit to provide care and support in your home

The Housing Executive and your health and social care team will help you decide which of these options is best for you. If you decide to move into supported housing, they’ll look for a suitable place for you to live.

Waiting for a home of your own

You have to go on a waiting list if you want to rent a home from the Housing Executive or a housing association. The length of time you’ll wait for a home depends on:

• Where you want to live
• The type of home you need and
• How many housing points you have

Contact Housing Rights if you want to know more about housing points or the waiting list.

The Housing Executive might give you a temporary place to live while you’re on the waiting list. Your temporary housing could be in a place of your own or it could be in a hostel with staff available to support you.

Renting privately

You can find a place to rent privately by:

• Contacting letting agents in your area
• Searching websites like PropertyNews and PropertyPal
• Checking local noticeboards or online groups

It can be more expensive to rent from a private landlord than it is to rent from the Housing Executive. You usually have to pay a deposit and a month’s rent before you move in. You may have to provide a guarantor. This is someone who promises to pay the rent if you don’t and to cover the cost of any damage you cause.

Get advice before you sign a contract for a rental property, especially if you haven’t rented before.

Looking after your mental health while you’re waiting for a home

Some people have to wait a very long time before they get a home. You may be in temporary housing for a lot longer than you’d like. This can be really hard on your mental health. Get help if you’re experiencing negative feelings, such as sadness, anxiety or hopelessness. You may be able to get a support worker who can help you deal with these feelings and make sure you’re getting all the help you’re entitled to.

Getting help with housing problems

There are organisations who can help if you are having problems with your housing:

• Housing Rights has a daily housing helpline – you can phone or chat online
• Contact Advocacy for All if you have mental health issues and need help accessing services or filling in forms