Westminster Temporary Accommodation: Half Is Out of Borough

Westminster temporary accommodation is where the council houses homeless households while they wait for a settled home, and the first thing to know is that it may not be in Westminster. The council says half of its temporary accommodation is now outside the borough, because it cannot find affordable properties locally, and some households have been placed outside Greater London. The second thing to know is that the wait can be long. Westminster says most households spend “a considerable length of time” in temporary accommodation before they are rehoused.

This page explains the two stages of temporary housing, how the council decides where you go, who handles repairs now that a new management contract is in place, and how to challenge an offer you think is unsuitable. It is drawn from the council’s temporary accommodation pages, its 2025 to 2030 homelessness strategy and national homelessness law.

The two stages: emergency, then “stage 2”

Emergency accommodation comes first. Westminster says this is likely to be a hotel or hostel. It is meant to be short term, while the council works out whether it owes you the main housing duty.

Longer-term temporary accommodation, which the council calls stage 2, follows if your homeless application is accepted. All stage 2 homes are self-contained, so you have your own kitchen and bathroom and do not share with anyone outside your household. The flats are fully furnished, but you bring your own bed linen and cooking utensils; laundry and breakfast are not provided. You get a tenancy agreement, and the housing association or letting agent named on it handles day-to-day management.

Once you are accepted, you go on the housing register and get a bidding reference for Home Connections, the choice-based lettings site. Our guide to the Westminster housing register explains bidding and priority.

If you are homeless or about to be, register for housing advice on the council’s get help with homelessness page, or call 020 7641 1000 (9am to 5pm, Wednesdays to 4pm). Do this as early as you can: the council has a duty to try to prevent homelessness, which is easier before you lose your home.

Where you will be placed

Westminster’s temporary accommodation FAQs say the council has to think carefully about where each household goes, because demand inside the borough is so high. It weighs:

• what accommodation it has available on the day it makes the offer;
• your needs and your family’s, against those of other households needing a place that day;
• how much rent you can afford.

Officers are meant to consider how far you can reasonably travel. The council’s position is that it may be reasonable to commute to work, get to medical appointments or take children to school by bus or Tube, and that in some cases it may be reasonable to register with schools or GPs nearer the new address.

National law sets limits on this. The council should place you within its own area so far as reasonably practicable, and if it places you elsewhere it has to take account of things like your job, your children’s schooling, caring responsibilities and medical care, and notify the council for the area you are sent to. Families with children, and pregnant women, should only be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation as a last resort and for no more than six weeks. Shelter’s guide to unsuitable temporary accommodation sets out the factors in plain English.

The council is also buying buildings to bring more places back into Westminster. In July 2024 it bought Hopkinson House at 88 Vauxhall Bridge Road, a 1906 former hostel, to convert into 33 in-borough temporary homes for families, as part of an acquisitions programme that Cabinet topped up with an extra £85 million.

How long you might stay

There is no fixed answer, and the council does not give one. What it does publish:

• Around 2,600 homeless applicants were living in Westminster temporary accommodation, according to its FAQs (last updated September 2024).
• More than 6,000 applicants are on the housing register, and on average only around 800 homes become available each year, most of them studios and one-bedroom flats (council housing register page, updated August 2026). An earlier council page, from January 2026, gave lower figures of about 4,000 households and around 600 to 660 lets a year; either way, demand is several times supply.
• Households needing larger family homes wait longest, the council’s homelessness strategy says.

Westminster says you can expect to stay in your current temporary home while you wait, unless the council agrees to move you or you ask for a move. Housing officers may also contact you about leaving temporary accommodation for a private rented home that the council says will be suitable in size and location and affordable. Accepting a suitable private offer can end the council’s housing duty, so ask exactly what accepting or refusing would mean before you decide.

Refusing an offer, and asking for a review

Westminster’s FAQs are blunt: if the council thinks an offer is suitable, it expects you to accept it, and if you refuse it may bring its housing duty to an end. The safe route, which the council itself advises, is to accept the offer and ask for a review at the same time.

• For stage 2 accommodation offered under the main housing duty, you have a legal right to ask the council to review whether it is suitable. You must ask within 21 days of being told of the decision. Put your reasons in writing: distance from work or school, medical needs, disability access, overcrowding, safety.
• For emergency (interim) accommodation, there is no statutory right to a review. You can still complain to the council, and a challenge can be brought in the courts with legal advice.
• If the council gets it wrong or delays, you can complain through its complaints process and then to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Get advice before you refuse anything. Shelter’s helpline and local advice services can help you frame a review request.

Your tenancy: what can get you evicted

You will be given a tenancy agreement when you move into temporary accommodation, and Westminster warns that breaking it can lead to eviction. The council lists four common reasons:

• not paying your rent;
• sub-letting the property;
• letting the condition of the home deteriorate;
• causing a nuisance or annoyance.

If you are evicted for one of these, the council says it is unlikely to offer another home, and if you reapply you are very likely to be found intentionally homeless. If you are struggling with rent, ask about Westminster Council Tax Support and other help early, before arrears build up.

Repairs: who to call

On 10 September 2026 Westminster announced it had appointed Connect Property to run its temporary accommodation property management, repairs and maintenance, and compliance services, on a contract of two years with options to extend by two further single years. The council said the service would cover property management, responsive repairs, planned maintenance, statutory safety checks and resident support.

In practice:

• Report repairs to the managing agent named on your tenancy agreement or in any letter telling you about the change of contract. Keep a note of the date, what you reported and the reference number.
• Damp and mould, heating failures and electrical faults are urgent. Report them in writing and with photos.
• If repairs are not done, complain to the council as your housing provider. Temporary accommodation must be suitable, and a home in serious disrepair may not be.

Council tenants in permanent homes use a different route: see our guide to Westminster council housing repairs.

If you have been placed outside Westminster

The council’s strategy commits it to support households placed outside the borough, including help with moving costs, furniture and transport, and working with public services in the new area so care does not drop. If you are placed elsewhere:

• tell your GP and your children’s schools straight away, and ask Westminster’s officers about help with travel costs;
• register for council tax with the new council, but keep your Westminster housing register reference and keep bidding;
• keep every letter from Westminster about your case.

Frequently asked questions

How long do people stay in Westminster temporary accommodation? The council does not give a typical figure. It says most households spend a considerable length of time in temporary accommodation, and with more than 6,000 households on the housing register and around 800 homes available a year, many wait years.

Can Westminster place me outside London? Yes. The council says half its temporary accommodation is outside the borough and some households have been placed outside Greater London. It must still consider whether the location is suitable for you, including work, schools and medical care.

What happens if I refuse temporary accommodation in Westminster? If the council considers the offer suitable, it may end its duty to house you. The council advises accepting the offer and asking for a review of its suitability if you disagree.

How do I challenge unsuitable temporary accommodation? For accommodation offered under the main housing duty, ask the council for a suitability review within 21 days, in writing, setting out why. For emergency accommodation there is no statutory review, so get legal advice quickly.

Is temporary accommodation furnished? Westminster says all its stage 2 flats are fully furnished and self-contained, but you need to bring your own bed linen and cooking utensils.

Who do I report repairs to in temporary accommodation? The managing agent named on your tenancy agreement. Westminster appointed Connect Property in September 2026 to manage repairs and maintenance across its temporary accommodation.