Housing advice

Housing Advice at Waltham Forest Housing Services gives free advice on housing matters to all residents within the borough.

If you are experiencing problems with your accommodation, you should get advice. You can do this by contacting Housing Advice, or a solicitor specialising in housing.

When you seek advice, you should take any documentation that is relevant to your case. For example, your original tenancy agreement, court papers, correspondence from your landlord, housing benefit, or solicitor. Even if you do not have any papers, you should still get advice.

When reading this information, it is important to remember that the laws concerning housing and welfare rights are very complicated. The information here cannot explain everything; it is intended to provide a guide to enable you to exercise your rights.

Emergency contact number

If you have an emergency outside office hours, such as domestic violence, that means you are not safe to stay in your home, please call 020 8496 3000.

Who we work with

We give advice on housing and related problems to people who live, or want to live, in Waltham Forest and are:

  • Leaseholders
  • Private tenants
  • Housing association tenants
  • Home owners
  • Homeless or likely to become homeless
  • Private landlords

Advice areas

Worried about losing your home

  • Mortgage problems
  • Relationship breakdown
  • Domestic violence
  • Landlord telling you to leave
  • Friends or relatives want you to move out
  • Landlord not paying the mortgage on your home
  • Rent problems
  • Possession proceedings - what to do if you receive a Notice to Quit, Court Summons, Court Order, Bailiffs Warrant
  • Forced to sell your home
  • Leaseholder enquiries
  • Tenancy deposit legislation

Problems with your landlord

  • Repair problems
  • Privacy - landlord coming into your home uninvited
  • Rent problems - rent books, rent disputes, rent increases etc.
  • Landlord refusing to accept rent
  • Overcrowding and shared facilities
  • Nothing in writing? - Your rights if you have no written tenancy agreement

Accommodation and Housing Benefit

Money problems and housing

Landlords: problems with your tenants

  • Tenancy advice and information
  • Rent arrears
  • Damage to your property
  • Legal procedures for gaining possession
  • Access to your property for inspection and repairs
  • Tenancy deposit legislation - Your obligations

How you can help us to help you

At busy times we may only be able to give you brief initial advice when you first contact us. If your problem is urgent please try and contact us early in the morning. Housing Advice cannot usually give detailed advice to  Waltham Forest Council tenants as this is provided by Ascham Homes.

We can give you advice about Council and Housing Association rented accommodation but there is a severe shortage of these types of housing. This means that we also give advice about finding private accommodation, or about improving conditions in your present home.

Once you have had your application registered, depending on your circumstances you may be eligible to bid for vacant Council or housing association properties. More information about this can be obtained from the Housing Registration Team on 020 8496 5422.

Get advice early - many people lose their homes, or rights to be re-housed by the Council, because they wait too long before getting advice.

The more information you give us, the quicker we are able to give you proper advice. Please let us see any useful documents as soon as you can.

Leaflets online

There is a full range of Housing Services leaflets and forms available here.

These leaflets are all available free of charge, by downloading from this website, by post or in person from our office.

How to contact us

Cedar Wood House
2d Fulbourne Road
Walthamstow  E17 4GG  (map)

Tel: 020 8496 3000
Fax: 020 8496 5431

Opening hours
9am-4.30pm Monday to Thursday
10am-4.30pm Friday

Our office is located on Fulbourne Road.

If you need help with spoken or written English, let us know and we can provide interpreters and/or translated information - for example if English is not your first language, or if you have sight and/or hearing disabilities.

Cedar Wood House is fully accessible for people with mobility disabilities, including wheelchair users, with ramped/level access, wide doors, and fully accessible toilets. There is also an Induction Loop for hearing aid users.

Bulgarian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Urdu

Open to personal callers: Monday -Thursday, 9am-4.30pm; Fridays 10am-4.30pm

Telephone enquiries: 020 8496 5575, Monday -Thursday 9am-5.15pm; Friday 9am-5pm