London is at the centre of the country’s homelessness crisis. For the thousands of families and children homeless and living in temporary accommodation, this is having a devastating impact. Here, we explain what temporary accommodation is and look at the latest data on London’s temporary accommodation crisis and why it matters.
What is temporary accommodation?
When someone becomes homeless, their local authority has a duty to provide accommodation. While waiting for a home, people are often housed in temporary accommodation (TA). This can come in many forms, like bed and breakfasts or privately rented accommodation.
As the name suggests, TA was only ever meant to be temporary, but people can be stuck in TA for a year, or even longer.
The latest data
Total number of households in Temporary Accommodation (2011-2024)
Since 2011 the number of households in TA in London has increased significantly. In 2024 – the last year we have full data for – 69,000 households were in TA, 50% higher than a decade earlier. Data from the start of 2025 suggests this has increased again.
This data comes from the government, and counts households rather than individuals. By another estimate, based on surveys of local authorities carried out by London Councils, the number of individuals in TA is much higher: 183,000. That’s one Londoner for every 50 – and the equivalent of one child in every classroom, costing London boroughs £4 million every day.
By borough
Proportion of households in temporary accommodation in London boroughs (2024)
Newham has the highest proportion of residents in TA by far. For every 1,000 households in the borough, 55 are homeless and living in TA.
But in just about every borough, the problem is acute. Every London borough we have data for except one has a higher proportion of households in TA than the England average. And in seven London boroughs, the proportion of residents in TA is five times higher than in the rest of England.
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Unsuitable accommodation
TA can take many forms. Most frequently, councils use the private rented sector to provide TA. As a last resort, though, councils are increasingly using B&Bs and budget hotels.
B&Bs often have a lack of space for families, and people may be sharing bathrooms or be without internet access, laundry or cooking facilities. Because of their unsuitability as long-term homes, the use of B&Bs is time limited by law. But faced with no other options, councils increasingly have to rely on B&Bs to provide TA.
Number of households in Bed & Breakfasts (2011-2024)
The chart above shows that in 2024 - the most recent full year we have data for - more than 6,000 households were living in B&B-style accommodation as TA. This number has more than quadrupled since 2011, and is 26% higher than just one year earlier in 2023.
Households housed in Temporary Accommodation in a different borough (2011-2024)
As well as often being generally unsuitable for living long-term, TA often sees families moved to new boroughs or even cities, miles away from jobs, schools and support networks. In the last decade, the number of households being placed in a different borough has increased by more than 100%.
