Thanks for the advice guys!
BerberElla it's good to hear from you again, if you remember my screen name lol but I am worried because what if I am not a priority or I get kicked out! I've heard so many stories and bad experiences about being homeless in the UK.
True, but I also know a load of stories that are not horror stories about being homeless.
Presenting yourself as homeless usually follows these steps:
1 - Application
2 - Homeless unit/hostel or bed and breakfast for 6 weeks whilst they assess your application
3 - A move into somewhere more permanent than the above placements ^^ which is probably a hostel if you are single, but if you are lucky a private rented bed sit or 1 bed for the duration of your wait for final permanent accomodation
Since you are only homeless on your gap year, you won't even have to worry about the long term road. This is about getting you housed safely for the gap year before uni if that is still your plan.
I have lived in hostels and bed and breakfasts before, hell I have even slept on park benches and crack houses, curled up in a corner aged 14 rather than give in and go home, or go back to my foster parents. On a scale of 1 - 10, hostels come out on top for me. I had a room, shared facilities, had general freedom to come and go as I pleased, and I made a few friends along the way.
For me, I was prepared to face any hurdle to get safe, so no matter how run down the building, or how dire my situation, I just refused to give in. Better that than the alternative.
Getting away from your parents in the above way isn't easy if you let things like that bring you down, but it's easy if you glaze your eyes over and just deal with it, and still wake up smiling and getting on with your life. The only way to cope with that road.
There are other ways. Get a job asap, work and build up a deposit and rent a place.
But if your situation is extremely distressing and dangerous right now, then just leave. Do what I did and take a leap, irregardless of how long it takes you to land on your feet, eventually you will, and when you do you will be free.