Final offers of housing when homeless
A final offer of longer term housing could be a:
council or housing association home
private rented home
You might get a final offer while the council gives you help under either:
your personal housing plan
the main housing duty
You should accept a final offer of housing from the council.
You have 21 days to ask for a review if you do not think the housing is suitable.
But accept the offer in case your review is not successful.
Temporary housing
The council writes to you if you should get homelessness help.
This is called the main housing duty. The main housing duty means the council must find you suitable longer term housing.
Find out what to expect in temporary housing
Final offers of council and housing association homes
The council can make a final offer from the housing waiting list if you're on it.
Tenancy type and length
A housing association tenancy could be:
an assured tenancy with no fixed end date
a fixed term assured shorthold tenancy for at least 2 years
a starter tenancy which becomes a longer tenancy after a year
A council tenancy could be:
a secure tenancy with no fixed end date
a fixed term flexible tenancy for at least 2 years
an introductory tenancy which becomes a longer tenancy after a year
Final offers of private rented homes
The council can make a final offer of a private rented home if:
the tenancy is an assured tenancy
the property is in reasonable condition
the landlord has not broken laws
Tenancy type and length
The tenancy offered must be an assured tenancy.
The tenancy must be periodic. Periodic means the tenancy does not have an end date. It rolls from month to month, or week to week.
You must get written information about the tenancy before you sign the tenancy agreement.
Condition of the home
The property must be in reasonable condition and have:
a current gas safety record
carbon monoxide and fire safety precautions
safe electrics and electrical equipment
a valid energy performance certificate
an HMO licence if needed
Landlord
The council should not offer you a tenancy with a landlord who has:
been convicted of certain offences
broken landlord and tenant laws
What makes a final offer suitable?
The housing should be:
affordable for you
in good enough condition
the right size for you and your family
suitable if you have health issues or a disability
Location
The council must try and find housing in their area.
The council could offer you housing in another area if there's not enough suitable longer term housing locally.
The council must consider factors such as:
your travel time to work
disruption to your children's education
caring responsibilities and local support networks
For example, you should not be offered longer term housing somewhere which means you have to leave your job.
But the council might expect your children to change schools if it would not disrupt their education.
You can ask for a review if you think your final offer is unsuitable.
But accept the offer even if you want a review, or the council could stop helping you.
Our guide to housing suitability reviews tells you what you can do.
Final offer letters from the council
The council must make any offer of longer term housing to you in writing.
The letter must explain:
that it's a final offer
what happens if you refuse or accept the offer
your right to ask for a review
The council should give you a reasonable time to think about the offer.
Viewing the property first
The council should let you see the housing before you decide whether to accept it.
If a viewing is not practical, the council should show you photos and answer your questions.
How to ask for a suitability review
Accept the offer first in case your review is unsuccessful.
Ask for a review within 3 weeks of the offer letter if you think it's unsuitable.
You can use our letter templates to ask for a review.
The council's offer letter should set out why they think the offer is suitable.
Get free legal advice. Many suitability reviews do not succeed so it's best to get help from an adviser.
It's risky to refuse an offer
This is because the council:
can end your temporary housing
does not have to make another offer unless your review is successful
You can ask the council to give you temporary housing while they carry out the review. But they do not have to do this.
You can make a new homeless application.
But the council could decide you're intentionally homeless unless you have a very good reason for refusing an offer.
Last updated: 1 May 2026
