18Duty to contact certain applicants after duty in section 75 comes to an end

After section 76B of the 2014 Act (circumstances in which the duty in section 76A(2) comes to an end) (inserted by section 17(2)), insert—

76CDuty to keep in touch with certain applicants(1)

The duty in subsection (3) applies in relation to—

(a)

an applicant who—

(i)

was owed a duty under section 75 and that duty came to an end in the circumstances described in section 76(7A), and

(ii)

is not within subsection (2);

(b)

the local housing authority that exercised the function described in paragraph (a)(i) in relation to the applicant.

(2)

An applicant is within this subsection if the local housing authority—

(a)

at the beginning of the relevant period owes the applicant a duty under section 76A(2), or

(b)

at any time during the relevant period is required to carry out an assessment under section 62 in respect of the applicant or has carried out such an assessment before the beginning of the relevant period.

(3)

The local housing authority must take reasonable steps to contact the applicant (whether the applicant is within its area or not) within the relevant period with a view to identifying whether the applicant is or may be homeless or threatened with homelessness or is at risk of becoming homeless or threatened with homelessness.

(4)

If the local housing authority considers that the applicant is or may be homeless or threatened with homelessness, or is at risk of becoming homeless or threatened with homelessness, the local housing authority must give the applicant such information and advice as it considers appropriate.

(5)

For the purpose of this section, the “relevant period is the period of 2 months after the end of the period of 5 months that begins on the day that the applicant is notified in accordance with section 84 that the duty under section 75 has come to an end.