100,000 households stuck in temporary accommodation for the first time since 2005

More than 100,000 households in England were stuck in temporary accommodation on 31st December 2022 according to new government data – the highest number reported in 17 years.

Of the households stuck in temporary accommodation, 12,220 were housed in B&Bs – an increase of 31% compared with the same time last year. This includes a disproportionate number of families, with the number of households with dependent children housed in such accommodation more than doubling, with a rise of 129% in a year.

The figures also showed that 24,060 households were threatened with homelessness in England as a result of a Section 21 no-fault eviction in 2022 – 50% more than in 2021.

A Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction allows landlords to ask a tenant to leave with just two months’ notice and without having to give any reason for doing so. The government has committed to introducing the long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill soon, which will abolish Section 21 evictions.

Overall, 290,330 households faced homelessness in 2022 in England – a rise of 6% compared to the year before.

Responding to the figures, Matt Downie, Chief Executive of homelessness charity Crisis, said: ‘The homelessness system is on its knees. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the number of households living in temporary accommodation in England has exceeded 100,000. Shockingly, the number of children growing up in B&Bs without a secure home has more than doubled in just 12 months. Families up and down the country are unable to move on with their lives and have no security because they can’t afford to rent privately and there are far too few social homes to go around.

‘Years of inaction and failure has brought us to this point. We’re supporting people trapped in temporary accommodation who are living in one room with their children, often without facilities to cook their own meals or do their washing – causing real damage to their physical and mental health.

‘The need for Government to urgently increase the number of good quality, affordable homes could not be more desperate. This must be delivered alongside comprehensive changes to the private rental sector, otherwise we will continue to see thousands forced out of their homes and trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation.’

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: ‘For too long struggling private tenants have been trapped in an insecure and unstable private rented sector with the constant worry of being one no-fault eviction notice away from homelessness.

‘Every day our frontline services hear from desperate families who are facing the very real prospect of homelessness after an eviction. The cost of living crisis coupled with paying through the nose for insecurity and disrepair in the private rented sector where competition for rentals is fierce means that there are little to no options for tenants who are forced out of their homes.

‘Renters have been promised these reforms for four long years, they can’t wait any longer. The government must immediately bring forward the long-promised Renters’ Reform Bill which will scrap Section 21 no-fault evictions for good.’

Image: Sigmund