Home Housing Housing Options Service Temporary accommodation: advice and support
Moving out of your temporary accommodation over Christmas?

You will be charged the full rent until the keys for your accommodation are returned. If you live in a property where the repairs are managed by an agent, please contact the agent directly to hand in your keys and to obtain a receipt. Please do not leave keys in the property.

For all other properties, the housing options service at the Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel road, London E1 1BJ, will re-open on Thursday 2 of January 2025. You need to return your keys to the office before midday to avoid charges.

Please remember to notify your housing officer, housing benefit and Council Tax.

SECTION MENU

Temporary accommodation: advice and support

Please remember that being placed in temporary accommodation does not mean you will be accepted for social housing.

What is temporary accommodation? 

Temporary accommodation may be given to people who genuinely have nowhere to live. 

You can be placed in temporary accommodation if you are:

  • homeless
  • eligible for assistance
  • in priority need

A household may have a priority need for different reasons.

For example, there may be dependent children in the household. 

What kind of temporary accommodation could you expect? 

It may be in bed and breakfast accommodation which is very basic. This often is one room for you and your family. Bathrooms and/or kitchens sometimes shared with other residents.   

It is not permanent, and you could be moved around to alternative places at any time. 

Temporary accommodation is in very short supply. It may be that the only suitable options are outside of Tower Hamlets or London. 

To help ensure that it is safe and secure, there are often limits on visitors. Residency checks are also in place.   

How do you decide where to place households?

Our Accommodation Placement Policy guides how and where we place homeless households. It considers three main things: location, prioritisation and affordability.

Read the Homelessness accommodation placement policy

Do you have to pay rent for temporary accommodation? 

Yes, if you do not pay your rent we can evict you from temporary accommodation. 

You can find advice about how to pay your temporary accommodation rent.

Your rent amount will depend on the size of your family and how many rooms you need.

If you are on a low income you may be able to get help if you claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit. 

How long will you stay in temporary accommodation? 

We can’t say how long you may have to stay in temporary accommodation. It could be for many years as it doesn't mean you will be placed in social housing. 

You will need to stay while the council decides if there is a duty to house you.

If there isn't, you will need to find an alternative place to stay.

What happens if the council has a duty to house you? 

We will start to look to look for suitable accommodation. This is likely to be in the private rented sector as there is a severe shortage of social housing. 

What if you don’t want to stay in temporary accommodation?  

If you don't want the upheaval of moving home several times, or a long waiting period, you can look to rent privately. 

You could also think about moving in the UK where there is more social housing available than in London and the south east. 

You can search for properties across the country on HomefinderUK.