Leaving a Hostel in Liverpool: Options for Your Next Home

Leaving a hostel in Liverpool? Your next home might be temporary accommodation, social housing, a private rented home or another supported room. Tell your hostel worker as soon as you know your move-out date, and contact Liverpool City Council if you may have nowhere safe to stay.

You can explore more than one option at the same time. A social housing application may take time, so ask what you can do in the meantime. This guide is about housing options in England; the rules differ elsewhere in the UK.

What should I do first when my hostel stay is ending?

Start by asking your hostel support worker or keyworker to talk through your move-on plan with you. Try to do this before your placement ends, even if you are not sure what you want next.

Ask for clear answers to these questions:

• What is my confirmed move-out date, and can it change?
• Is there a move-on worker, housing officer or other person I should speak to?
• Can the hostel help me contact Liverpool City Council’s Housing Solutions team or make a referral?
• What housing options have already been explored, and what is still outstanding?
• What papers or information do I need to gather?

Keep letters and messages about your placement, housing applications and appointments together. If a plan changes, ask who you should contact and what to do if the new plan falls through. If you need help understanding a housing decision or your rights, Citizens Advice Liverpool offers housing advice.

Can Liverpool City Council help if I have nowhere to go?

If your hostel stay is ending and you have nowhere safe to live, contact Liverpool City Council as soon as possible and explain the date you must leave. You can read the council’s information for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The council has an online process for making a homeless application. It says it will call after you apply to ask initial questions and arrange an assessment.

Tell the council about your circumstances, including why the hostel stay is ending, what support you need and whether you have health or safety needs that affect the kind of place you can manage. Share relevant letters if you have them. Ask what happens next and who to contact if your circumstances change. The council will assess your situation; help and housing options depend on your circumstances, so no outcome can be promised.

If you do not know where to start, read how to make a homeless application in England. If you may have to sleep outside in Liverpool tonight, the council lists the 24-hour Always Help Available helpline on 0300 123 2041. Call for urgent help rather than waiting for a routine appointment.

Could I move into another supported place?

Another supported room or shared house may suit you if you want some support while building day-to-day independence. Places can have different rules, support levels and referral routes. Ask the worker supporting you to check what is available locally and whether you need a professional referral.

Before accepting a place, ask what support is provided and what is expected of you. Check whether you will have your own room, what facilities are shared, how long the placement may last and what the next move-on steps could be. Ask how rent and other housing costs work, and whether the accommodation is right for any accessibility or safety needs you have.

If you are leaving prison, Liverpool City Council has specific housing information for prison leavers. If you have a different support worker, ask them to help check the route that fits your circumstances.

Is social housing an option in Liverpool?

You can look at applying to Property Pool Plus, the choice-based lettings service for social and affordable homes in Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley and Halton. Applications are assessed, and if yours is accepted and you meet the requirements for a home, you can express interest in suitable advertised properties. Being on the register does not mean a home will be available straight away.

Check the current rules and application steps on Liverpool City Council’s housing register page. Keep your contact details up to date, respond if the service asks for information and check the Property Pool Plus website regularly if you are able to bid. You can read our guide to Property Pool Plus in Liverpool for a fuller explanation of the process.

If you are waiting for a decision or a suitable property, keep discussing other options with your hostel worker and the council. Social housing is one possible route, not a short-term place to stay while your hostel stay ends.

Could I rent privately or stay with someone I know?

A private rented room or flat may be another route. Search carefully, arrange a viewing where possible and ask what the rent includes, what upfront costs apply, how long the agreement lasts and what you need to provide before moving in. Do not pay money until you understand who you are paying and what it is for. Check whether you can manage the rent and housing costs with your income before agreeing to move.

If you receive Universal Credit and PIP or another benefit that affects help with rent, check your own circumstances with a qualified advice service or the relevant official guidance. Next Step Rooms’ Liverpool guide to renting with Universal Credit and PIP explains some points to check, but it is not advice for your individual case.

Staying for a short time with family or friends could also be worth discussing if it is safe and everyone agrees. Be clear about how long you can stay and what you will do next. Tell the council about the arrangement if you are making a homeless application; the council can explain how it affects its assessment.

What should I take with me when I move?

Ask your hostel worker what records they can help you gather. Useful items may include identification, benefit letters, contact details for your support team, medication or health information you choose to share, and copies of housing applications or decisions. Keep important documents somewhere you can reach them.

Before leaving, confirm the move date, where you are going, how you will get there and who will meet you if support has been arranged. Ask what to do if the room is not ready or a travel plan changes. If you are not moving directly into a new home, make a clear plan for that day with your worker and the council.

How can Next Step Rooms help?

Next Step Rooms offers furnished rooms in supported shared houses in Liverpool’s L5 areas of Kirkdale, Everton and Anfield, and L7 areas of Kensington, Fairfield and Edge Hill. All bills are included: gas, electricity, water, council tax and Wi-Fi.

The rooms are for adults who receive Universal Credit and PIP or another extra benefit that exempts them from the benefit cap, such as DLA, ESA support component, LCWRA or Carer’s Allowance. A housing partner checks eligibility before a viewing. This may be one option to explore alongside council, social housing and other move-on routes; it is not a council service and we cannot give legal or benefits advice.

You can register for Liverpool rooms. Registration is free, and the team calls back within one hour; evening registrations are called back first thing the next morning. You can also sign up for room alerts.

Questions people ask

Sources and official help

• Liverpool City Council: Homeless or at risk of becoming homeless?
• Liverpool City Council: What you can do to find a home
• Liverpool City Council: Join the housing register
• Property Pool Plus: What is Property Pool Plus?

This guide is general information, not legal or benefits advice. Rules and amounts change, so check the official links above or speak to Citizens Advice or your council before you make a decision.

More guides

• Supported housing in Birkenhead: who it is for and how to find move-on rooms
• Daily Routine After Moving on from Supported Living in Liverpool and Wirral
• Property Pool Plus in Liverpool: how bidding for social housing works