Temporary accommodation

If we have reason to believe that you may be homeless, eligible for help and have a priority need, we have a duty to provide interim accommodation. 

Temporary accommodation is also known as “interim accommodation”. It is not permanent, and you should only be for a short period of time. It will be suitable for you and your household, but we take into account the fact that you will only be living there for a short time when deciding what is suitable. The temporary accommodation could be, for example, bed and breakfast accommodation. 

You can stay in temporary or interim accommodation if you have applied to us, and we believe that you: 

• are homeless; 
• are eligible for help; and 
• have a priority need. 

Find out more about your right to interim accommodation. 

Temporary or interim accommodation is not secure – you should only be living in it for a short period of time. It will usually be available immediately once you meet the criteria for it. Your right to stay in temporary accommodation ends when our duty to provide interim accommodation ends. This may be when: 

• you no longer have a priority need; 
• you are no longer owed the relief duty; 
• you are evicted because you have not abided by the conditions of the accommodation; or 
• permanent accommodation has been found for you. 

We will notify you when your right to interim accommodation ends and explain to you the date upon which you must leave the accommodation. 

The accommodation will meet your needs, and it could be any type, but it is unlikely to be the same type of accommodation that you will end up in once you find a permanent home. Sometimes we use bed and breakfast accommodation and bedsits to provide temporary accommodation. As it is arranged at short notice, it could be located anywhere in the Waltham Forest area or elsewhere if there is no suitable local accommodation available. 

There is no fixed cost, and it will vary depending upon what accommodation you are placed in. When you are allocated interim accommodation, we will consider what you can afford and what other help is available to you. You will also have to pay your other living costs, for example, electricity costs. 

We will help you to find temporary accommodation that is suitable for your needs. Please contact us as soon as possible if you believe you are homeless or under threat of homelessness. You can also contact us for general housing advice. 

This service is offered under the council’s duty to provide advisory services. It does not represent legal advice. If you're unsure about any details, or if your circumstances are not covered, please contact us. 

Even if you're not entitled for temporary accommodation but are worried about becoming homeless, we can still help you.

Temporary accommodation and where it is

There are different types of temporary accommodation, the main ones are:

• Bed and Breakfast (B&B)
• privately rented self-contained accommodation
• hostels owned and managed by us

We aim to find accommodation for you within Waltham Forest whenever possible, but we can't guarantee that it will be within the borough, or within London.

There are two main reasons for this:

• there are far more people in need of accommodation than there are available properties in our borough
• we have to be sure that you can afford to pay the rent, but most rents in the area are unaffordable for people on benefits or a low income

If you have to move to a new area, we have a specialist team to help you. They can help you apply for school places, register with doctors, and contact local services.

Refusing my temporary accommodation

If you're entitled to an offer of temporary accommodation from us, we'll only offer you one suitable property. Here's what will happen if you refuse it.

If this is an interim offer, before we've made a decision on your homelessness application, then you'll need to find your own accommodation. If we then accept your homeless application, we will make a second offer to you.

If we've already accepted your homelessness application, and you refuse, then we will no longer have a duty to house you.

If you believe the accommodation is unsuitable, you have the right to request a review of our decision. You must request this in writing within 21 days.

Paying my rent

You are responsible for paying your rent. Temporary accommodation can be expensive, and Housing Benefit may not cover all your rent.

You must keep up-to-date with your payments and not get into arrears. If you get in arrears, you won't be entitled to an offer of permanent housing from us. You may be evicted from your temporary accommodation.

If we give you temporary accommodation, we can help you claim for Housing Benefit or Universal Credit.