Brighton Specialist Housing Advice

The Brighton Housing Advice Service is funded by the Legal Aid Agency to provide advice under the Legal Aid Scheme. The Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service provides ‘Early Advice’ and the In-court Duty Scheme (see page for more information).

We will listen to you to understand your current situation and wherever possible, will help you to find a solution. We have specialist housing advisers and a housing solicitor who are very experienced in offering advice to help you resolve your problems.

Early legal advice covers a wider range of issues than previous Legal Aid Agency funded help, this can include welfare benefit and debt advice. People facing the loss of their home are entitled to help from the moment they are informed that possession of their home is being sought by their landlord or mortgage lender. There will need to have written evidence of the risk.

Evidence that can be accepted includes a:

letter or notice from the landlord for lodgers.
notice to quit.
letter under the pre-action protocol for social tenants
notice seeking possession, e.g. Section 21 or Section 8.
letter from the court notifying the person that possession proceedings have been issued.

Early legal advice does not cover advocacy. Housing and debt cases that involve loss of the home will still be covered by full certificated legal aid, subject to merits and financial eligibility.

Early legal advice stops at the point of the first full hearing in the possession claim where a final decision on the possession claim is made.

There are no financial eligibility criteria for Early Advice.

The Legal Help Scheme continues to provide specialist advice on:

Duties that the Local Housing Authority (council) has to you if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness within the next 56 days.
Disrepair that causes a serious risk to the health of the residents.
Injunctions under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997

People accessing advice regarding the above matters from the Brighton Housing Advice Service must be financially eligible. If they are, they will be entitled to legal advice.

Please contact the Brighton Advice Centre reception team using the details below to find out if you are eligible, or:

Click here to check if you are eligible for Legal Aid

To receive help under the legal aid scheme you must provide the following:

proof of your income for the past calendar month (e.g. your last payslip, a letter confirming your entitlement to benefits, bank statement covering the last month)
if you have a partner, you must bring proof of their income as well and they will also need to sign the Legal Help Form
proof of your capital or savings for each account you have in the form of an up-to-date statement or passbook.

In exceptional circumstances, you may not need to provide these documents if the help you need is an emergency, and you cannot obtain them.