Number of families in B&Bs longer than six weeks up 781.5% in London

Candida Thompson, assistant director of housing needs at Newham Council, said that the homelessness and temporary accommodation situation is the “worst” she has “ever experienced”.

Ms Thompson, who presented the survey data at an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for London meeting in parliament earlier this week, said that on average, across the capital, homelessness presentations are up 9.4%.

“In my borough of Newham, it’s up by over 20% compared to the year before and it’s going up and up every single month,” she explained. 

The APPG was discussing the housing affordability crisis in London. 

Ms Thompson stated that “no borough wants to” put people in B&B accommodation, adding that it has a “detrimental effect” on households due to the lack of cooking facilities and space for children to play. 

“But when people are presenting to us as homeless in an emergency and there is no supply of accommodation, this is what we’re having to do to put a roof over people’s heads,” she said. 

She added: “If there isn’t some intervention soon, the homelessness sector is looking on the brink of collapse and it’s totally unaffordable for councils to sustain it in this way.”

Another speaker at the meeting, Abigail Davies, director of the housing consultancy at Savills, explained the pressures in the private rented sector (PRS).

She said: “We have definitely found that landlords are moving away from offering their properties up for temporary accommodation and homelessness prevention work. 

“Previously, 40% said to us that they were now letting fewer properties out to lower-income households and 38% letting fewer properties to local authorities. 

“Most of them had retained those properties, they were just letting them to different people in different ways.”

Landlords reported that multiple factors are driving this behaviour, including increasing mortgage and operating costs, as well as anxiety around regulatory changes such as council licensing schemes and the Renters’ Reform Bill. 

Ms Davies added that the research has not proven conclusively that properties sold are leaving the PRS, without knowing who is buying the homes. 

“We feel like there probably will be a time, but we didn’t prove it right now,” she said. 

Speakers called for more social homes to be built, the government to pass the Renters’ Reform Bill with as many protections for renters as possible, Local Housing Allowance rates to be restored to at least the cheapest 30th percentile, and increased funding for councils. 

One of the main recommendations in the London Councils’ report, undertaken by Savills and LSE, called for an “urgent” cross-departmental review of PRS supply and the development of a long-term strategy for the private sector.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) spokesperson said: “Temporary accommodation is an important way of ensuring no family is without a roof over their head, but we have been clear that B&B accommodation is always a last resort. 

“We are determined to reduce its need by preventing homelessness before it occurs.

“Councils must ensure temporary accommodation is suitable for families, who have a right to appeal if they think it does not meet their household’s needs. 

“That’s why we have given them £2bn over three years to help them tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, targeted to areas where it is needed most. In London, this includes over £350m funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2023-24 and 2024-25.

“The government is also improving availability of social housing. 

“We are committed to delivering 300,000 new homes per year and investing £11.5bn to build the affordable, quality homes this country needs.”