England homelessness and temporary accommodation
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government statistics on statutory homelessness in England, by quarter: households assessed by local councils and owed a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness (since April 2018, when the Homelessness Reduction Act took effect), main duty decisions since 1998, and households and children living in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter, by type of accommodation.
| Indicator | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | Q4-2023 | Q3-2023 | Q2-2023 | Q1-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessments and duties owed1 | ||||||||||||||
| Households assessed for homelessness (initial assessments)1 | 92,200 | 86,030 | 91,440 | 88,490 | 93,090 | 85,380 | 90,960 | 92,940 | 96,860 | 90,840 | 90,930 | 82,530 | 89,180 | |
| Assessed as owed a prevention or relief duty2 | 83,850 | 77,940 | 83,150 | 80,620 | 85,650 | 78,340 | 83,530 | 85,090 | 88,690 | 80,790 | 81,400 | 76,530 | 82,700 | |
| Owed a prevention duty (threatened with homelessness within 56 days)1 | 39,200 | 34,380 | 37,210 | 37,020 | 38,510 | 34,690 | 37,500 | 38,070 | 39,370 | 34,950 | 37,000 | 36,140 | 39,140 | |
| Threatened with homelessness by a section 21 (no-fault eviction) notice | 6,540 | 5,040 | 5,770 | 6,620 | 6,780 | 5,890 | 6,950 | 7,180 | 6,770 | 5,900 | 6,800 | 6,870 | 6,620 | |
| Owed a relief duty (already homeless) | 44,650 | 43,550 | 45,940 | 43,600 | 47,140 | 43,650 | 46,030 | 47,020 | 49,330 | 45,840 | 44,410 | 40,390 | 43,560 | |
| Main housing duty decisions1 | ||||||||||||||
| Main duty decisions for eligible households4 | 24,820 | 25,380 | 25,800 | 25,770 | 26,050 | 27,050 | 27,620 | 28,660 | 27,000 | 23,460 | 22,060 | 22,280 | 21,060 | |
| Accepted as owed the main duty (priority need, unintentionally homeless) | 16,060 | 17,170 | 17,200 | 17,020 | 17,140 | 18,360 | 18,520 | 18,960 | 17,830 | 16,180 | 15,930 | 15,530 | 14,580 | |
| Decisions: priority need but intentionally homeless | 1,180 | 1,090 | 1,200 | 1,110 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 1,070 | 1,230 | 1,070 | 1,000 | 920 | 1,010 | 960 | |
| Decisions: homeless but no priority need | 7,310 | 6,900 | 7,220 | 7,410 | 7,500 | 7,270 | 7,660 | 8,260 | 7,820 | 6,030 | 4,940 | 5,460 | 5,210 | |
| Decisions: not homeless | 270 | 220 | 190 | 230 | 220 | 220 | 380 | 220 | 280 | 240 | 270 | 280 | 310 | |
| Temporary accommodation6 | ||||||||||||||
| Households in temporary accommodation6 | 135,580 | 134,140 | 134,700 | 132,340 | 130,890 | 127,820 | 125,970 | 123,030 | 117,350 | 112,610 | 108,920 | 105,840 | 104,540 | |
| Temporary accommodation: bed and breakfast hotels | 12,220 | 12,550 | 13,930 | 14,240 | 15,750 | 16,380 | 17,620 | 18,370 | 17,750 | 15,950 | 14,870 | 14,080 | 13,650 | |
| Temporary accommodation: nightly paid, privately managed, self-contained | 51,390 | 50,390 | 50,680 | 48,910 | 46,620 | 43,080 | 39,800 | 36,770 | 32,250 | 29,390 | 27,520 | 24,740 | 25,660 | |
| Temporary accommodation: hostels and refuges | 6,810 | 6,700 | 6,960 | 6,830 | 6,930 | 6,830 | 6,740 | 6,770 | 6,260 | 6,250 | 5,970 | 5,810 | 5,890 | |
| Temporary accommodation: private sector leased | 26,690 | 27,120 | 26,220 | 25,730 | 25,900 | 26,370 | 27,050 | 27,010 | 26,140 | 26,700 | 26,180 | 26,390 | 24,200 | |
| Temporary accommodation: council or housing association stock | 33,890 | 33,180 | 32,650 | 31,720 | 30,650 | 29,990 | 29,600 | 28,820 | 28,060 | 27,390 | 26,650 | 25,890 | 26,400 | |
| Temporary accommodation: other types | 4,580 | 4,190 | 4,250 | 4,920 | 5,030 | 5,170 | 5,170 | 5,290 | 6,880 | 6,940 | 7,720 | 8,930 | 8,750 | |
| Households with children in temporary accommodation | 86,460 | 85,760 | 85,710 | 84,220 | 82,990 | 81,030 | 80,490 | 78,380 | 74,490 | 71,270 | 69,630 | 68,150 | 64,990 | |
| Children in temporary accommodation | 177,530 | 176,050 | 175,930 | 172,370 | 168,710 | 165,450 | 163,970 | 159,310 | 151,540 | 145,780 | 142,390 | 139,090 | 131,500 | |
| Households with children in B&Bs for more than six weeks | 1,000 | 1,200 | 1,670 | 2,130 | 2,410 | 3,230 | 3,660 | 4,000 | 3,240 | 2,960 | 2,670 | 2,510 | 1,810 | |
| Households placed in another local authority's district | 43,180 | 43,020 | 41,240 | 42,060 | 41,490 | 41,050 | 38,660 | 38,900 | 36,320 | 33,320 | 31,110 | 28,000 | 29,090 | |
| Owed a duty but no accommodation secured | 3,300 | 2,260 | 2,250 | 2,700 | 2,710 | 2,750 | 3,060 | 2,670 | 2,570 | 2,600 | 2,300 | 2,040 | 2,080 |
Latest reading
Households in temporary accommodation stood at 135,580 Households in Q1 2026. That is +1.1% from Q4 2025 and +3.6% from a year earlier. The series on this page is quarterly and runs from Q1 1998 to Q1 2026. Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government — Homelessness statistics.
- Latest
- 135,580 Households
- Q1 2026
- vs previous period
- +1.1%
- Q4 2025
- vs a year earlier
- +3.6%
About this data
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government statistics on statutory homelessness in England, by quarter: households assessed by local councils and owed a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness (since April 2018, when the Homelessness Reduction Act took effect), main duty decisions since 1998, and households and children living in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter, by type of accommodation. Temporary accommodation counts are a stock on the last day of the quarter; assessments and decisions are flows during it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between prevention and relief duties in England?
- In England, a prevention duty requires local authorities to help households threatened with homelessness within 56 days, whereas a relief duty applies to households that are already homeless.
- How far back do statutory homelessness statistics for England go?
- Quarterly statutory homelessness and temporary accommodation data for England published by MHCLG go back to 1998 in this table.
- What types of temporary accommodation are tracked in England?
- Accommodation types include bed and breakfast hotels, hostels and refuges, private sector leased properties, council or housing association stock, and nightly paid self-contained accommodation.
- How are homelessness figures reported in England?
- Homelessness assessments and main duty acceptances represent quarterly flow counts of households, whereas temporary accommodation numbers represent the stock of households and children on the final day of the quarter.
