Housing Act 1996

The Housing Act 1996 is an act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Part VI of the act concerns permanent allocation of housing, while Part VII concerns the duties that a local authority has towards homeless people and when these duties arise.

Specific sections

Section 1 established a register of social landlords, to be maintained by the Housing Corporation.
Sections 175 and 191 concern the circumstances in which a person currently in accommodation may also be considered "homeless". The circumstances would depend on whether it is "reasonable to continue to occupy" the accommodation. Case law has confirmed that a woman living in a refuge who has left her home because of domestic violence remains homeless.
Section 189 concerns the "priority need" hurdle that a homelessness application must pass for a council to have a duty to provide interim accommodation.