WIREDGOV

The UK Government must go further and faster in tackling poor conditions in temporary accommodation, says the cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee.

• Read the report [HTML]
• Read the report [PDF]

The report finds that too many children and families continue to live in temporary accommodation “so poor as to be unfit for human habitation”. 

The report recommends the UK Government take urgent action in three key areas to tackle the problem - by strengthening existing protections further, phasing out other types of shared accommodation for families, in addition to B&Bs, and by putting in place long-term plans to improve the supply of temporary accommodation.

Temporary accommodation is a broad term to describe short-term housing provided by local councils in England for people who apply for homelessness support, are eligible for assistance, and in priority need.  

The report acknowledges the steps set out in the Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness, but the Committee warns that these measures alone are not enough to address the severity of the temporary accommodation crisis.

Chair comment

The report finds that too many children and families continue to live in temporary accommodation “so poor as to be unfit for human habitation”. 

The report recommends the UK Government take urgent action in three key areas to tackle the problem - by strengthening existing protections further, phasing out other types of shared accommodation for families, in addition to B&Bs, and by putting in place long-term plans to improve the supply of temporary accommodation.

Temporary accommodation is a broad term to describe short-term housing provided by local councils in England for people who apply for homelessness support, are eligible for assistance, and in priority need.  

The report acknowledges the steps set out in the Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness, but the Committee warns that these measures alone are not enough to address the severity of the temporary accommodation crisis.

1. Strengthen protections against poor conditions

• Require councils to carry out mandatory inspections to ensure properties meet the needs of all household members, are free from hazards, and are in a decent condition.
• Ensure Awaab’s Law, which requires social landlords to fix hazards within set timescales, is fully applied to temporary accommodation by the end of 2028/29, including all significant and emergency hazards under the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System.
• Update statutory overcrowding standards to reflect the needs of children and modern living. The report notes that the standards used to assess whether a home is statutorily overcrowded today were originally introduced in 1935 and has remained largely unchanged since.
• Put interim milestones in place to ensure the sector is on track to fully comply with the new Decent Homes Standard by 2035.  

2. Phase out unsuitable forms of accommodation

• Phase out the use of other forms of shared accommodation and accommodation that will not be able to comply with the new Decent Homes Standard.
• The report welcomes the government’s national target to eliminate the use of B&Bs by the end of the Parliament but calls on the government to put in place safeguards to ensure councils do not resort to using out-of-area placements or other types of shared accommodation to meet the B&B target.
• Amend the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003 to restrict the placement of families in other types of accommodation with shared facilities to a maximum of six weeks.
• Once the new Decent Homes Standard is introduced in 2035, amend the Order to prevent households being placed in accommodation that cannot fully comply with the standard to a maximum of six weeks.
• The placing of families, including single women with children, alongside single male adults should be eliminated.

3. Plan for the long-term supply of good-quality temporary accommodation

• Require local councils, through their homelessness action plans, to forecast future need for temporary accommodation locally and set out a 10-year plan to deliver a sustainable supply of good-quality housing that is decent, safe, and stable.