Maine Stays Journal
Whole Homes as Council Temporary Accommodation
Councils place households in temporary accommodation while they make enquiries or meet a housing duty. A whole, self-contained home avoids the limits on bed and breakfast for families and lets a household live normally during the wait. This guide explains what officers look for and what a landlord needs first.
Where temporary accommodation fits
Under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996, a council must secure accommodation for a household that appears homeless, eligible and in priority need while it makes its enquiries. That is the interim duty in section 188.
If the council later accepts the main housing duty under section 193, the household may stay in temporary accommodation until settled housing is available, which can take months.
Why whole homes
The Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003 treats bed and breakfast as unsuitable for a pregnant applicant or a family with children unless nothing else is available. Even then it limits the stay to six weeks.
A whole house with its own kitchen, bathroom and front door avoids that problem from the start. It also lets a family cook, keep a routine and stay together, which matters over a long wait.
What officers look for
Suitability is the council's judgement, guided by chapter 17 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities. In practice officers weigh the size of the home, its facilities, its condition and its location.
Location has its own rule. Section 208 of the Housing Act 1996 asks councils to place households within their own district where they reasonably can and to notify the receiving council when they cannot.
What a landlord needs first
A home used for council placements needs more than an ordinary let. Consents come first: the mortgage lender, the freeholder for a leasehold flat and the insurer should each agree in writing to council placements.
Safety comes next: current gas and electrical certificates, an energy certificate and a fire risk assessment with detection suited to the home.
The standard before a placement
- Whole and self-contained, with its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance
- Current gas safety, electrical and energy certificates
- A fire risk assessment and suitable fire detection
- Written consent to council placements from the lender, the freeholder and the insurer
- A length of stay agreed with the council
How Maine Stays works with councils
Maine Stays offers whole, furnished homes to councils on nightly or weekly terms, with the council as the booking party and the terms agreed in writing before a household arrives. Only whole homes are offered, one household to each home.
Officers can start on our accommodation for councils page or the page for their own council, such as Coventry or Dudley. Landlords who want a home used this way can read how Maine Property Solutions leases homes for council use.
Frequently asked questions
Are placements whole homes or rooms?
Whole, self-contained homes, one household to each home.
Who books the home?
The council, with terms agreed in writing before the household arrives.
What does a landlord need before a placement?
Written consent from the lender, the freeholder and the insurer, current certificates and a fire risk assessment.
Where are the Maine Stays homes?
Sullivan Heights and Humber Hub are in Coventry and The Merry Hill Lounge is in Brierley Hill, in the Dudley borough.
Need a whole home for a placement?
Send the household size, the bedrooms and the area. Terms are agreed with the council before anyone arrives.