Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Persistent appalling conditions in temporary accommodation gravely endanger children's health and wellbeing.
Conclusion
The appalling conditions in some temporary accommodation in England are utterly shameful. We are concerned that issues of poor-quality temporary accommodation continue to persist, even though it is now over five years since the then Children’s Commissioner described these conditions as “simply inappropriate places for a child to be growing up”. Conditions in temporary accommodation are too often unfit for habitation, and risk having a serious detrimental impact on children’s development, wellbeing, and health. It is particularly shocking that in the last five years temporary accommodation has been a contributing factor to the deaths of at least 74 children, of whom 58 were under the age of one. (Conclusion, Paragraph 20)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government is taking action through the Renters’ Rights Bill to introduce powers to apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, with the intention of bringing temporary accommodation within its scope, subject to consultation on implementation details and appropriate enforcement mechanisms.
Government Response
The government responded to this report on 16 June 2025. No passage in that response could be matched to this conclusion. Read the response document ↗