Temporary Accommodation & Referrals

Introduction

Temporary accommodation plays a crucial role in providing short-term housing solutions for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Under homelessness and housing legislation, there are legal requirements regarding the provision and management of temporary accommodation, including making suitable and lawful offers.

These legal requirements cover the local authority’s duty to secure temporary accommodation for eligible homeless individuals and families under the Housing Act 1996. They must make suitable offers of temporary accommodation to homeless households. The accommodation must be suitable for the specific needs and circumstances of the household, considering factors such as size, condition, location, and accessibility providing a safe and habitable living environment.

This Block covers all areas where there is a legal requirement. These legal requirements aim to ensure that homeless households receive suitable and lawful offers of temporary accommodation that meet their needs and provide a safe living environment. By adhering to these requirements, local authorities contribute to addressing homelessness and providing individuals and families with the support they need during their housing crisis.

Overview

This Block covers the legal requirements regarding Temporary Accommodation. Participants will learn all aspects of temporary accommodation work with a focus on understanding how to assess the suitability of TA offered.

The Unit should take 4-6 hours to complete, with 2-3 hours of follow-up readings.

At the end of the Block there is an Assessment to test your understanding. The assessment is made up of 40 randomly generated yes/no questions. The pass mark is 70 per cent. This means that 28 of the 40 questions must be answered correctly. Once the assessment has been passed, you will receive a certificate showing your accomplishment in your personal dashboard.

Contents

• Introduction
• Interim Duty
• Priority Need
• Referrals

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit, you should know:

• What is Temporary Accommodation?
• When is a temporary accommodation duty owed?
• Refusing TA at the different stages – interim and main duty and what happens next?
• When a letter is required to be notified to an applicant who is or is not owed a TA duty?
• How to evict from TA at the interim and main duty stages?
• The rights of review for interim and main duty TA and how can the council be legally challenged? 
• What is the occupation status of an applicant in TA Licensee or tenancy and when can you evict with reasonable notice v when is a court order is required to remove them.
• Providing TA under a Relief Duty power to anyone who is not owed an interim accommodation duty
• When can Bed & Breakfast be used as TA and when it can’t be used?
• Paying for TA when they cannot afford the charge
• The housing benefit subsidy rules regarding what is the cheapest and most expensive form of TA to use
• Notifications of out of area placements into TA interim or main duty
• Assessing the storage of goods duty
• Placing into TA – the threshold for agreeing to place
• The power to provide interim pending a review – applying the Mohamed v Camden case law test

Conclusion

The conclusion to the learning block.

References & Further Reading

At the end of the Block, you will find all the links to the references and there is also some suggested further reading that may also interest you.