Homelessness and housing advice

The City of Edinburgh Council can help customers who are homeless or at risk of losing their home, as well as providing general housing advice.

The Council provides housing advice and information to private tenants, homeowners, people leaving home, private landlords and Council tenants.

The City of Edinburgh Council has a legal duty to help people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.

If you need housing advice, are homeless or think you might become homeless please contact any of the following:

• Housing Options Team, Level 1, 1 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BJ Tel: 0131 529 7368
• Neighbourhood offices
• The Access Point (TAP) provides health, social work and housing services for single homeless people who are sleeping rough. Tel: 0131 529 7438
• If you become homeless out of office hours, you can contact the Council’s Out of Hours Service on Freephone 0800 032 5968. They can provide basic emergency assistance but you will need to go to a housing office on the next working day to make a homelessness application.
• Or see our ‘Where to go for help’ page
• Visit our Housing Options Guide.

Information on homelessness and what to do if somebody is homeless or threatened with homelessness can be accessed below:

• Are you homeless? – What to do if threatened with homelessness
• Homelessness law – The legislation set by the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and the Homelessness (Scotland) Act 2003.
• Silver priority -  I have been assessed as homeless and awarded silver priority, what is it?
• Temporary accommodation
• Private Sector Leasing (PSL)
• Hostels
• Homelessness service standards
• How we performed
• Homelessness Strategy (2008-2012)
• Glossary of housing advice and homelessness terms