What other organisations can help?

This page is for new arrivals. If you are a housing adviser, please click for information more relevant to you.

This page covers the whole of the UK

Advice about housing

Shelter offers advice on private renting, deposits, problems with landlords, etc. You can search for housing advice by area and get contact details for Shelter's local offices, which offer free advice. In England, Shelter have a free helpline for urgent problems on 0808 800 4444, open 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

In Wales, Shelter Cymru offer housing advice and have local offices (find the nearest one here). Their helpline is 08000 495 495 (open 9am to 4pm) and they can answer email enquiries via the website.

On Shelter Scotland's website you can search for housing advice by area and get contact details for Shelter's local offices. Their free helpline for urgent problems is 0808 800 4444, open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Homeless Link has information about services for anyone facing homelessness.

Citizens Advice have an advice site and can help find your local citizens advice bureau for face-to-face help. The site has separate sections for the different parts of the UK and has a section in Welsh (click the 'Cymru' tab).

Citizens Advice Scotland have an advice site that can also help you find a local citizens advice bureau. Their main site includes information about benefits, immigration, housing, etc.

Northern Ireland organisation Housing Rights has a helpline on housing problems by phone, 028 9024 5640, and by online chat from Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm. You may get a caseworker if your issue needs more expertise. You can get advice about homelessness, private renting, social tenancies, rent arrears and eviction.

Advice about private renting and tenants' rights

Crisis has a Help to Rent Database where you can find out about schemes that may be able to help with deposits and rent in advance.

Rent Smart Wales registers landlords in Wales. On their website you can find out if a property is registered. They have other information about renting privately.

Citizens Advice Scotland has sections on renting privately and so does the Shelter Scotland website, which also includes a brief guide to rent deposit schemes.

London Renters' Union has guidance for tenants who cannot afford their rent and may be facing eviction, in a number of different languages.

Advice for European nationals in the UK

Settled offers free, accredited advice on the EU Settlement Scheme and the Ukraine visa scheme in different European languages. Use the online self-referral form or call on 0330 223 5336 and choose the language you wish to speak (open Monday-Thursday, 1pm to 3pm).

The AIRE centre can offer written advice about some aspects of the rights of European migrants in the UK.

European nationals can find links to other organisations and websites that can help with problems on the page for the EU Settlement Scheme.

Advice for children and young people

Coram Children's Legal Centre has a Migrant Children's Project which offers resources on their rights and advice on legal issues relating to migrant children via an email service.

Advice for migrant workers

The Trades Union Congress, which represents all major UK trades unions, has an easy-access guide to Working in the UK.

The UK government website has a section offering advice on working, jobs and pensions, which includes guidance on the National Minimum Wage.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC - a government department which collects and administers taxes and pays tax credits and child benefits) have pages for migrant workers explaining taxes, national insurance, self-employment and the National Minimum Wage which they enforce.

The Health and Safety Executive which enforces health and safety at work legislation has pages for migrant workers.

The Fair Work Agency protects workers' rights. Workers can make complaints about poor working conditions such as their pay and long working hours.

Advice on benefits and taxes

In Great Britain, the Department for Work and Pensions administers universal credit for working-age households (for the unemployed, those unable to work or in-work but on a low income) and state pension credit for pension-age households. The UK government website includes comprehensive information about DWP benefits for:

• people of working age
• pensioners and people planning pensions
• carers and disabled people
• people with children.

No information is currently available in languages other than English or Welsh. Tax credits are available for some people who are on low incomes, but in work. In Scotland, benefits for carers, disabled people and some benefits for children are administered by Social Security Scotland instead of the DWP.

In Northern Ireland the Department for Communities administers the same benefits as the DWP in Great Britain. The Housing Executive is responsible for administering housing benefit.

Many local councils include a housing and council tax benefits calculator on their sites (e.g. Salford City Council and Midlothian Council). Turn2us also has a benefits checker (but may be of limited use to new migrants).

Advice on equalities issues

The Equality Advisory Support Service provides advice and support on discrimination and human rights issues to individuals in England, Scotland and Wales. Their advice line is 0808 800 0082 (open until 7.00pm weekdays and 2.00pm on Saturdays).

Rent Smart Wales provides guidance for tenants suffering discrimination by private landlords.

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland provides advice and support on discrimination and human rights issues to individuals in Northern Ireland who experience a problem with a service. Phone 028 9050 0600 or complete the online contact form.

Advice for asylum seekers and refugees

The largest organisations working for refugees are (in England) the Refugee Council, the Welsh Refugee Council and the Scottish Refugee Council. Their websites have detailed advice and and links to other support services. The Refugee Council has a housing pathway service to help refugees with status in London to find accommodation.

Refugee Action have advice pages for refugees and asylum seekers.

Positive Action in Housing in Scotland offers advice and support to migrants and run a free casework service for those facing poverty, homelessness, racism or poor housing. They run a hardship fund and provide emergency help for destitute asylum seekers and their families.

Extern - Northern Ireland's Refugee Resettlement Service - supports individuals and families who have been granted refugee status and given leave to remain in the UK.

Across the UK, Migrant Help runs a free asylum helpline and can assist with applications for asylum support, reporting maintenance issues with asylum accommodation and advice on any asylum-related queries. The phone number is 0808 8010 503, open 24 hours daily, and on their website there is a webchat service and self-serve forms.

The Asylum Seeker Housing Project's website makes it easy for asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation to make complaints or report repairs.

The Department for Work and Pensions has a guide for refugees about looking for work and claiming benefits and pensions.

Advice for destitute migrants

Praxis Community Projects, based in London, has a telephone and drop-in advice service for vulnerable migrants, including rejected asylum seekers and people with no recourse to public funds and other immigration problems.

Doctors of the World run a London clinic and advocacy programme based at Praxis, for anyone who has difficulty accessing mainstream healthcare.

NACCOM is the UK 'no accommodation' network which has a list and map of all projects offering accommodation to migrants with no recourse to public funds.

Project 17 offers advice to people with children who do not have access to public funds.

Bail for Immigration Detainees is an independent charity that challenges immigration detention in the UK. Its advice line (020 7456 9750) is open 10am to 12pm Monday to Thursday.

Positive Action in Housing is a Scottish-wide charity. More information on their services is given above.

The Scottish Refugee Council has guidance for people who are destitute.

Other legal advice

You can search for solicitor who can give advice under the legal aid scheme using the search tool for England and Wales. You can search by location (postcode, town or city) and by subject (e.g. immigration, housing and welfare benefits). In Scotland, the Scottish Government has a guide on how to get free help.

The Law Centres Network has a list and map of law centres where you can get free legal advice (in Scotland, the list is here).

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants has an Irregular Migrant Helpline. You can get free, confidential legal advice. Phone 020 7553 7470 (open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am to 1pm).

The Right to Remain Toolkit is a guide to the UK immigration and asylum system. It gives an overview of the legal system and procedures, with detailed information on rights, options and actions you can take.

For general immigration advice, rules state that all immigration advisers must be registered with the Immigration Advice Authority or be a member of an approved professional body. You can find a registered or approved adviser here.