Temporary accommodation

If you make a homeless application, we may place you in temporary accommodation whilst we consider whether we have a duty to house you.

The accommodation we place you in is likely to be hostel accommodation, where you are allocated your own room and you will share kitchen and bathroom facilities with other families and residents. Our hostels are located within the borough of Barking and Dagenham.

You will need to pay rent, the amount will depend on the size of your family and how many rooms you need. If you are on a low income you may be able to get help by claiming Housing Benefit or Universal Credit. 

You will need to remain in hostel accommodation until we have decided whether we have a duty to house you.  If we decide we don't have a duty to house you, you will need to find alternative accommodation. You can useful advice on our housing advice and private rented accommodation pages. 

If we decide we do have a duty to house you, we will start to look to look for suitable accommodation. Because of the severe shortage of social housing availability, this is likely to be in the private rented sector, under an assured shorthold tenancy.     

If we cannot find you accommodation quickly, we may house you in self contained temporary accommodation in the private sector. This may be in a neighbouring borough or further afield in Essex. 

If you don't want the upheaval of moving home several times, or a long waiting period, you can look to rent privately yourself, or consider moving your location to UK locations where there is more social housing availability than London and the South East. Homefinder UK advertise such properties.

Affordable rents 

If you are working you may be able to rent an affordable home through Reside, our housing company. Reside offer properties at below market rents. Find out if you are eligible.  

Visit Reside

Temporary accommodation

Cost of temporary accommodation and paying your rent

The cost of temporary accommodation varies depending on the size of your family. If you are on a low income you can claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit to help with your rent costs. The amount of benefit you get will depend on your income, your household members and how much your rent is.   

Paying your rent 

You must keep up to date with your rent payments. If you are struggling with money and debt please visit our Money and Debt pages for help with debt, budgeting and credit.  

You can contact us by email temprent@lbbd.gov.uk for more information. 

Pay rent online

Rent arrears 

You must keep up to date with your rent payments. If you fall into arrears and we have to evict you, we may decide that you have made yourself intentionally homeless, and we may decide that we do not have a duty to house you. If you are struggling with money and debt please visit our Money and Debt pages for help with debt, budgeting and credit.    

You can contact us by email temprent@lbbd.gov.uk for more information.   

Repairs

Repairs in temporary accommodation provided by a managing agent

If you need to report a repair, you must tell your managing agent. You can find the contact details for the Managing Agent on the licence you signed when you took up occupation of the property.

The council cannot take any action about repairs in properties  provided by private managing agents. You are expected to look after your accommodation by keeping it clean and tidy and reporting any repairs to your managing agent.  

If we discover that any damages have been caused maliciously, you will have to pay for the cost of the repair.

You can also get more information by emailing temprepairs@lbbd.gov.uk

Repairs in council owned temporary accommodation

If you live in temporary accommodation which is owned by the council you can report repairs through the council’s repairs and maintenance.

Report a repair

Repairs in hostel temporary accommodation 

For repairs in hostel accommodation, please tell a member of staff and they will make arrangements with the council to have them fixed if appropriate.  

You can also report repairs by email hostelservices@lbbd.gov.uk

Tell us about changes

Please tell us about any changes, that may affect your application or your current temporary accommodation needs. This includes, telling us about people who leave or join your household, changes in someone's medical conditions or if you move to new accommodation.   

You can report changes by email accommodationteam@lbbd.gov.uk

After temporary accommodation ends

When the time comes to leave your temporary accommodation you will need to speak to your temporary accommodation officer to give them your new address and arrange to hand back the keys. 

You will also need to remove all of your belongings, and have your gas, electric and water meters read or do it yourself and tell your suppliers you have moved. 

You can get more information about this by emailing accommodationteam@lbbd.gov.uk

If you pay Council Tax you must tell the Council Tax service you are moving. 

Tell Council Tax you have moved  

If you are claiming Housing or Council Tax Support, you must the Benefits Team you have moved. 

Tell Benefits Team you have moved