• Debt - if you have bills and rent you can't handle you can call Debtline on 0808 808 4000 or contact your local Citizens' Advice Bureau.
  
  
• Loneliness - you can talk to someone who can help you find solutions to this. A housing worker, a counsellor, your local youth information project or a good friend can help.
  
  
• Harassment - you should not have to live with harassment. You can contact the police, your landlord or your local Citizens' Advice Bureau.
  
  
• Neighbours - if your neighbours are difficult or if you argue with them, you need to talk to your landlord about it. There are community mediation services run by some Councils that can help. Don't do anything aggressive that could get you evicted.
  
  
• The State Of The Flat - if your flat needs doing up, speak to your housing officer or landlord. If they can't help, see if you can apply for some money from the Social Fund.
  
  
• Being A Single Parent - get advice from friends, family or your health visitor. You could apply for supported accommodation if you think you need it.
  
  
• Alcohol And Drugs - if you are using too often you should go and speak to your doctor or call Drinkline 0800 917 8282 or the National Drugs Helpline 0800 77 66 00. If you live in a council place, you should ask your housing officer if you could move to supported accommodation.
  
  

Supported accommodation	Applying for Social Fund money
Racism	Homophobia
Young parents	Loneliness
Harassment by your landlord

Jasmine, 20

There are three essential things to do if you decide you really need to leave where you are living:

• Get advice on your rights from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or Shelter's free housing advice helpline on 0808 800 4444.
  
  
• Inform your landlord (Council, housing association, or private) and do everything in line with what they advise and what your tenancy agreement says. This way you might get put down for a transfer and hopefully not lose your deposit. Try and be patient. These processes can take a bit of time.
  
  
• Keep your employer, college, Social Security Office or the Jobcentre informed of any changes of address and circumstance so you don't lose any money.
  

Your tenancy agreement

Always try and talk to a worker about big decisions like leaving your place. They will have some helpful ideas.

Doing this will put you in a very difficult situation. Young people who have done this have ended up with the following problems:

• They have got rent arrears because the landlord thought they were still there and expected rent. Arrears make it much harder to get a new place. You have to be paying them off before some landlords will consider you as a tenant.
  
  
• They have been classed as intentionally homeless by the Council when they have presented as homeless. This means the Council does not have to find them a new permanent place to live because they already had one and left it.

The overall effect of abandoning your place is that it will be much harder to find somewhere new.

Presenting as homeless