What is temporary accommodation and who we can find it for
Who we can find temporary accommodation for
We always try to prevent homelessness before it happens. If that is not possible, we may help you plan a move into temporary accommodation.
Our policy for temporary accommodation can be found at the bottom of this page.
We may be able to secure you temporary accommodation if:
- you have a 'priority need' for housing
- you need somewhere to stay straight away
About temporary accommodation
If required, temporary accommodation will be found for you and your household:
- Suitability: We will find accommodation that is appropriate for the length of your stay. We will work with partners to ensure that accommodation is of a safe standard. We continue to work towards minimising the use of Bed and Breakfast accommodation.
- Location: We prioritise placing people within the borough, but this is not always possible. Safety concerns, specialist needs or high demand may mean we place you outside the district temporarily.
- Furniture: You probably won’t be able to take all your furniture to your temporary accommodation. You may need to arrange for this to go into storage.
- Pets: We understand pets are important, and we will consider your circumstances when making placements. However, we may not be able to provide temporary accommodation for your pets. You may need to arrange for your pets to be looked after by someone else or by an animal charity.
Rough sleeping
If you are sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough:
- We will assess your situation and may offer accommodation if we think you may be in ‘priority need’ – that is, if your circumstances make you more vulnerable than most other people if you become homeless.
- If you are not in priority need, we use an assessment tool to decide whether to offer short‑term accommodation.
- In severe weather, we activate SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Provision), offering emergency accommodation to anyone sleeping rough or at immediate risk. SWEP placements will continue for as long as the severe weather continues.
Finding temporary accommodation yourself
Being in our temporary accommodation doesn't give you more priority for housing than if you were staying with a family or friend. So, if it was safe and appropriate, you could consider staying with someone you know while we consider your homelessness application.
Temporary accommodation cost
You may need to contribute to the cost of your accommodation. We will complete an affordability assessment with you.
If needed, we may be able to help you with any claims for:
Maintaining your stay in temporary accommodation
You can be evicted from temporary accommodation if you:
- refuse an offer of suitable longer-term housing
- don't pay the rent
- abandon the property
- break the terms of the tenancy (for example, subletting the property or causing a nuisance to your neighbours)
If you’re evicted it will affect our decision about your homelessness application. We may not be able to make you a final offer of long-term housing if we decide it was your fault you were evicted.
Our policy for making placements in temporary accommodation can be viewed below.