Local authorities in London have sounded the alarm as an escalating number of landlords withdraw from the sector providing temporary accommodation for homeless households. According to a comprehensive survey conducted by London Councils, an umbrella organization representing the city’s boroughs, a startling surge in landlords serving Notice to Quit – a legal demand for property return – has been recorded between September 2022 and April 2023.
In stark comparison to the preceding year, the survey exposes a staggering 120% increase in the number of such notices served by landlords, amounting to 3,531 properties earmarked for temporary accommodation across 15 boroughs. This loss equates to approximately six percent of London’s aggregate temporary accommodation stock.
Temporary accommodation, orchestrated by the local council, is a stopgap measure until permanent housing solutions are secured. These accommodations encompass a spectrum, spanning private residences, council-owned properties, housing association units, or even lodging in hostels, bed and breakfasts, and hotels.
However, the repercussions of the landlord exodus are proving disastrous for the capital’s most vulnerable residents. With around 170,000 people grappling with homelessness in London, the dependence on private landlords to bridge the housing gap is more pivotal than ever. This endeavour has been further exacerbated by a concerning 15.2% surge in households eligible for homelessness support from local authorities between April 2022 and April 2023.
Notably, the crisis is typified by a harrowing 781% rise in homeless families exceeding the legal six-week stay limit in bed and breakfast accommodations. This concerning escalation means that, in April 2023, a staggering 1,287 London families were ensnared in suboptimal B&B lodgings, as opposed to the mere 146 recorded during the same month the preceding year.
A spokesperson representing London Councils succinctly encapsulated the predicament, saying, “The private rented sector’s turbulence stands as a driving force behind London’s rocketing homelessness rates. The confluence of rapidly escalating private rents and a precipitous decline in available rental properties is catapulting the capital’s housing challenges to unprecedented heights.”
The spokesperson added, “Boroughs are grappling to secure temporary accommodations for homeless families. Throughout the city, landlords are retracting their properties from the temporary accommodation pool, leaving boroughs bereft of alternatives and necessitating the placement of growing numbers of families with children in inappropriate B&B facilities.”
The crisis demands swift action and collaborative effort from governmental bodies. “The homelessness quagmire in London is teetering on the edge of manageability,” the spokesperson cautioned. “It is imperative for the government to recognize this as the crisis it truly is and to collaborate with us in quelling the rising reliance on temporary accommodations.”
As London grapples with this unyielding housing predicament, it is evident that a comprehensive and urgent solution is required to safeguard the well-being of the city’s most vulnerable residents.