10 Accepted in Part

The government must require all local authorities funded to carry out local audits to assess,...

Recommendation
The government must require all local authorities funded to carry out local audits to assess, and report on, the suitability of the space provided to households in different types of temporary accommodation and the impact the availability of this space has on children. The government should fund further audits, if necessary, to build its understanding of the prevalence of overcrowding in temporary accommodation and the impact this has on households, especially children. We recommend that the government use the results of these audits to inform a review of the standards used to assess if homes are statutorily overcrowded. (Recommendation, Paragraph 38) Shared facilities
Government Response Summary
The government states that existing requirements address overcrowding but commits to working with the sector to better understand the issue, ensure enforcement guidance highlights overcrowding, and investigate options to improve data collection on overcrowding and hazards to strengthen the evidence base.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government Accepted in Part
34. It is already a requirement for temporary accommodation to be free from the most dangerous health and safety hazards – and this includes overcrowding – assessed using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Local councils have strong enforcement powers they can use if they identify health and safety hazards, and housing must be free from these to meet suitability standards, and the Decent Homes Standard (where it applies). 35. We will, however, work with the sector to understand this issue further and ensure that local authority enforcement guidance highlights the need to address overcrowding, whilst also working to increase supply of good quality accommodation in recognition of the constraints that may lead households to be placed in accommodation that does not meet space standards. 36. As set out in our response to earlier recommendations 1 and 3, we will investigate options to improve the information we collect on the quality of temporary accommodation, including overcrowding and hazards, and build on good practice from our Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots to strengthen our evidence base on suitability for households, including ensuring that quality issues are identified, and that broader support needs are met. We will use our expanded £30m Emergency Accommodation Reduction Programme to address a range of poor practice.
Addressee Bodies
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Timeline
Recommendation age 0.3 yrs
Report published 22 Apr 2026