Shelter and free housing law advice

Shelter is the UK's largest housing charity and the main free route into housing law advice for families facing homelessness, eviction, or unsafe housing during separation and family court proceedings. Housing problems and family court problems often arrive together — an occupation order, a rent arrears gap after one partner leaves, or a refused homeless application can all affect where your children live.

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-09-01

What Shelter is

Shelter is a national charity fighting bad housing and homelessness. Its services include a free housing advice helpline, an online advice library covering England's housing law, and local Shelter hubs where legal advisers take on cases involving eviction, homelessness, disrepair and allocation of council housing. In England, Shelter runs the Legal Advice Line, which for eligible cases includes legal help funded by legal aid on housing matters.

Separate organisations cover Scotland (Shelter Scotland, shelter.org.uk) and Wales (Shelter Cymru, sheltercymru.org.uk).

What help it offers

Free housing advice helpline: 0808 800 4444 — free from landlines and mobiles; open Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm (times can change; check the helpline page).
Emergency help if you are homeless tonight, at risk of harm at home, or about to lose your home within two months.
Online advice pages on eviction, homelessness, rent arrears, domestic abuse and housing, and council housing duties — practical, plain-English, and regularly updated.
Legal aid housing advice for those who qualify (means-tested).
Interpreter access if you need advice in another language.

Shelter advises on housing law. It does not advise on child arrangements or money cases directly, but housing outcomes in those cases (who stays in the home, rehousing after occupation orders, temporary accommodation with children) sit squarely in Shelter's expertise.

How a self-representing parent can use Shelter

1. If abuse forces you to leave or stay — Shelter's advisers understand the interaction between domestic abuse, homelessness law, and occupation/non-molestation orders. Call before crisis point if you can. 2. If you are the outgoing parent — get advice on your housing duties, rent or mortgage liabilities after you leave, and how a family court order interacts with your tenancy. 3. If children are in temporary accommodation — Shelter can check whether the council is meeting its duties, which matters for school stability and for a Cafcass or social-care assessment. 4. Evidence for the family court — written Shelter advice and records of your homelessness application can support a housing-related direction or a s.8 application's practical arrangements.

Shelter is not a family law firm. Combine its housing advice with family-specific sources such as Coram Children's Legal Centre, Rights of Women, or a legal aid family solicitor.

Contact details

Helpline (England): 0808 800 4444 (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm; busy periods may mean a wait)
Helpline page: https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help/helpline
Advice pages: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice
Scotland: https://scotland.shelter.org.uk — Wales: https://sheltercymru.org.uk

Useful links

Shelter England helpline: https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help/helpline
Housing advice: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice
Emergency help if you are homeless: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws, procedures and contact details change — verify anything important against the official sources linked above before relying on it. Your Family Case is an independent directory listing; we take no referral fees and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or receiving payment from any organisation listed.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.