Domestic abuse and your housing situation

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What is domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse is something no one is expected to live with or endure. We believe in the safety and protection of any person who may be exposed to domestic abuse.

This is irrespective of your age, sex, religion, sexual orientation or gender. Domestic abuse is not just about violence within the home or from a partner.

Domestic abuse doesn’t need to be in your home. It's abuse form someone that you have had an intimate relationship with. This could be a partner, ex-partner or family member.

'Domestic abuse' can take the form of but is not limited to:

• physical abuse such as slapping, pushing, kicking, punching, stabbing, attempted murder or murder
• sexual abuse such as rape and sexual assault
• emotional or psychological abuse such as:
• intimidation
• bullying
• isolation
• verbal abuse
• humiliation
• degradation
• not allowing visitors
• destruction of belongings
• threat of legal sanctions such as:
• deportation
• custody of children
• financial abuse
• denial of rights or restriction of personal freedom including withholding:
• money
• medical help
• travel / immigration documents

Using coercion and intimidation to control someone such as forcing someone to marry or taking someone abroad against their will.

Help and support for victims of domestic violence/ abuse can be found on the website of soLUTiONs domestic abuse partnership.

Staying safe in your home

If you experience domestic abuse you do have legal rights to protect you in your home. This applies for both married and unmarried households as well as households with children.

<’>We'll do everything we can to help you and advise you on your legal rights regarding staying safe and protected in your home.

You should also seek legal advice on your options. We can give you guidance on how to do this.

If you're experiencing domestic abuse, or you think someone else may be experiencing abuse, you should contact the Police Adult Safeguarding team.

As a council tenant or are a licensee in temporary accommodation, report it to the police and then please contact your tenancy officer on [email protected]. They’ll give you information about the options you have and the support available to you.

Follow this link to find out more about the different types of abuse and how you can get in touch with the Safeguarding Adults team.

Council tenants

As a council tenant, it's a breach of your tenancy conditions to carry out acts of domestic abuse or violence. This also applies if you're living in temporary accommodation provided by us.

If you're experiencing domestic abuse, you should first report this to the police and then to the tenancy officer for your area.

Telephone: 01582 547304
Email: [email protected].

We'll discuss all the options available to help you. If your situation is an emergency, then we can discuss ways of keeping you safe.

If you’re a joint tenant you may also be eligible for assistance under the Homesafe scheme if:

• you're under threat of being made homeless
• you do not have sufficient means to put in additional security

You also have legal rights over your property which the courts will protect.

These include:

• ouster injunction - an order from the court removing a person from your property
• non-molestation order - an order from the court instructing a person not to molest or make contact with you
• property transfer order - an order which transfers property from either one person's name to another or removing a person from the tenancy of the property
• order for right of occupation - an order giving rights to remain in a matrimonial home

If you're not a council tenant and need to find support please visit our domestic abuse page for further information and support.

Households with children

There are orders to protect the safety and arrangements for children. These apply to both married and unmarried couples.

These include:

• Parental Responsibility Order – an order deciding who has responsibility for a child
• Residence Order – an order deciding where a child will live
• Prohibited Steps Order – an order restricting parental responsibility

If you need to speak to someone about domestic abuse and your housing situation, please contact us using the details below.