Receiving an offer of temporary accommodation

Your household circumstances will be considered when we make you an offer of temporary accommodation. Due to our limited resources, it is not always possible to meet your preferences, particularly if you come in on the day you are homeless. Emergency temporary accommodation is likely to be outside of the borough.

If you are offered accommodation out of the borough you will need to make your own travel arrangements to and from the temporary accommodation you are offered.

Refusing an offer

If you refuse to accept an offer of temporary accommodation whilst your homeless application is being assessed, we may decide that no further offers of temporary accommodation will be made until a final decision is made on your homeless application. 

If you refuse accommodation, you will need to make your own housing arrangements whilst we complete our enquiries into your homeless application.

Length of stay

If we accept a full homeless duty to you then you will wait in the accommodation until you are made a settled offer.  You will be notified of our decision in  a Section 184 decision letter.

If we do not have a full homeless duty to assist you with housing, you will be given notice to vacate your temporary accommodation and will need to make your own housing arrangements.

There are several housing options available which may be suitable for your needs.

Request a review

If you are made an offer of temporary accommodation, but you have not yet received a decision on your homeless application (Section 184 decision letter) you do not have the right to request a review of your accommodation. 

If we have accepted a full homeless duty to assist you and you have been issued with a written decision (called a Section 184 decision letter), you are entitled to request a review of the suitability of your temporary accommodation (called a S202 review under the 1996 Housing Act) at this stage. 

In the decision letter, you will be advised of your right to request a review. This review request needs to be made within 21 days of the date of the decision letter. 

You should only request a review if there is a specific reason why you consider the property to be unsuitable.

An officer will discuss with you why we are satisfied that the accommodation is suitable before placing you in the accommodation. You should discuss your concerns with the Temporary Accommodation Team before you request a review and provide supporting evidence as to why you feel the accommodation is unsuitable. An example of this may be where a property has stairs and you have poor mobility, or you feel it is unsafe due to violence.

You can do this either in person by making an appointment, by email or by telephone:

If we not accept a full homeless duty to you, you do not have the right to request a review. 

Up to Temporary accommodation

Updated: 15/06/2023