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An alarming 100,000+ households are residing in temporary housing in the UK, doubling the total recorded in 2010/2011. This surge has not only resulted in numerous people enduring substandard living conditions but has also imposed a significant financial burden on local councils, amounting to £1.6bn annually.
Families cramped into one-bedroom accommodations
According to recent figures disclosed by PoliticsHome, a concerning trend has emerged, indicating that hundreds of families consisting of four or more members are facing prolonged stays in one-bedroom temporary accommodations. Despite the apparent deterioration in the quality of such accommodations over the years, their utilisation continues to rise. This troubling scenario not only witnesses a surge in the number of people relying on temporary housing but also reveals that those placed in these supposedly emergency shelters are enduring extended stays.
Tens of thousands of houses needed to meet demand
Housing charities including Shelter estimate 90,000 new social homes are needed each year in England to meet the huge demand that continues to grow. Currently, there are more than one million households on social housing waiting lists.
On 19th July 2023, Housing Secretary Michael Gove announced that the government will build at least 30,000 new social homes a year to tackle the housing crisis, quoting that it is "indefensible" that working people are having to live in vans, caravans, and hostels.
“We have a £11.5 billion programme, the Affordable Homes Programme - within that programme I have specifically insisted that we renegotiated and that we have more money being spent explicitly for homes for social rent,” said Michael Gove.
"Tens of thousands of new homes for social rent will be built as a direct result of the way we have reprofiled that spending."
How can landlords help the social housing crisis?
Leasing your house to local authorities can not only support those in desperate need for housing, but also can also provide a long-term income stream for landlords. While this can be done directly through a local authority/council, going via a third party (i.e. Elliot Leigh), will ensure you are guaranteed rent monthly and on a long-term basis (regardless of if the property is empty), plus manage your property entirely on your behalf.
If you have any questions about our Guaranteed Rent scheme and how it differs from direct-to-council leasing, get in touch with us today.