Round up of housing law and news: August 2026

Legislation

New notification duty for children in interim accommodation.

Duty to notify when a child is placed in interim accommodation

From 1 September 2026, a local authority has a duty to notify certain public bodies when children are placed in interim accommodation. The duty is introduced by section 213AA Housing Act 1996, inserted by section 11 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.

The local authority must ask for permission to notify from the parent or the child, if the child is aged 16 to 17 and is living independently.

Public bodies who must be notified include:

• the child's GP

• the child's school or college

• local health visiting services

Read section 11 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 at legislation.gov.uk.

Read more about the notification duty for children in interim accommodation on Shelter Legal.

Case law

Improvement notices, banning orders, determining market rent and more.

Relevant date for improvement notice appeal

A local authority can serve an improvement notice where there are hazards in accommodation under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. The recipient can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal against an improvement notice.

The Court of Appeal held that the First-tier Tribunal must consider the facts at the date the notice was served, not the facts at the appeal hearing date.

Manaquel Company Limited v London Borough of Lambeth [2026] EWCA Civ 972, CA

Tribunal consideration of banning order terms

The Upper Tribunal considered an appeal against a banning order which stated it would take effect on the termination of the landlord’s existing tenancies and required each tenancy to be brought to an end as soon as possible.

The Tribunal held that the order created a loophole where the banning order may never come into force if the tenancies were not brought to an end. The judge substituted a replacement order to take effect from the earliest of either three months from the hearing date, or the date Mr Farrah was no longer the landlord for each property.

Jama Ahmed Farrah v Sheffield City Council [2026] UKUT 303 (LC), UT

Tribunal must explain rejection of evidence in rent increase appeals

An assured tenant can apply to the First-tier Tribunal to challenge a rent increase. The Upper Tribunal found that the First-tier Tribunal must explain why it rejected material evidence, such as comparable rent level evidence.

Choudhury v Madej [2026] UKUT 302 (LC), UT

Duty to protect a homeless applicant's belongings

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that a council was at fault for not considering whether it had a duty to protect a homeless applicant's belongings.

The council incorrectly told the applicant that support with storage is discretionary. They asked for bank statements to assess the affordability of her storage costs, but did not consider whether she was able to move her belongings before the eviction was enforced. Shortly afterwards, the applicant's belongings were destroyed by the housing provider.

The council agreed to apologise to the applicant and pay £200 for the uncertainty caused.

Trafford Council (25 008 970) Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

News and guidance

Guidance on the Rough Sleeping Programme, possession action for PRPSHs, NRPF guidance for local authorities and more.

Rough Sleeping Programme

The government issued new guidance on the Rough Sleeping Programme, which aims to offer 'a route off the street for everyone before Christmas this year'. The programme also includes longer-term accommodation and intensive support to help people transition from rough sleeping.

It will provide £442 million of funding over three years to local authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities. Authorities can use the funding flexibly in line with local needs and priorities.

Read the Rough Sleeping Programme guidance at Gov.uk.

Possession action for private registered providers of social housing

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published new guidance on the possession action process for private registered providers of social housing (PRPSHs) in England. The guidance applies to PRPSHs letting a property to tenants on an assured or assured shorthold tenancy. It provides an overview of the county court possession process.

The purpose of the guidance is to aid understanding in the period before the Renters' Rights Act applies to PRPSHs in October 2027.

Read the guidance on understanding the possession action process at Gov.uk.

No recourse to public funds guidance for local authorities

The Home Office published updated guidance for local authorities on support for migrants with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

While people with NRPF status are not eligible for social housing or homelessness assistance, the guidance emphasises that NRPF should not be viewed as an automatic barrier to all forms of support.

Local authorities must consider whether they have other statutory duties or powers to provide accommodation, including for:

• households that include children

• people with care and support needs

• victims of domestic abuse

Read the no recourse to public funds guidance at Gov.uk.

Social and Affordable Homes Programme

The government announced the first wave of funding from the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. This funding will support the delivery of over 70,000 homes across England, around 60% of which are expected to be for social rent.

As part of the government's drive to kickstart council housebuilding, councils will be awarded Strategic Partner status with Homes England.

Read the press release on the Social and Affordable Homes Programme at Gov.uk.

Complaint Handling Code

The Housing Ombudsman has released its first report on compliance with the Complaint Handling Code for social housing providers. The report finds that complaint handling has improved since the code was introduced.

It also identifies areas for improvement and key learnings for social landlords, including:

• recognising concerns and complaints at an early stage

• clear ownership of complaints throughout the process

• embedding learning from complaints

Read the lessons from monitoring the Complaint Handling Code from the Housing Ombudsman.

Overheating homes

Research from Citizens Advice has found that 44% of people in the UK feel they lack the basic control needed to stop their homes overheating. Certain groups are more likely to struggle with overheating homes, including tenants and people on heat networks who cannot control their thermostat.

Citizens Advice is calling for the government's Warm Homes Plan to include summer cooling as well as winter heating.

Read the press release on overheating homes from Citizens Advice.

Housing-led approach to homelessness

The IPPR published a report on a housing-led approach to homelessness, which 'moves people into their own settled homes as quickly as possible, with support in place as appropriate'.

The report includes case studies from Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and Oxfordshire County Council to show the importance of collaboration between mayors, local authorities and public sector services.

Read the report on housing-led approaches to homelessness from the IPPR.

Data and trends

Quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness, latest possession statistics, data on women and the UK housing crisis and more.

Latest statutory homelessness statistics

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government released the latest statistics on statutory homelessness in England for January to March 2026. The number of households in temporary accommodation (TA) has reached a record high. Key findings include:

• 135,580 households were living in TA, an increase of 1.1% compared to the previous quarter and 3.6% compared to last year

• 177,530 children were living in TA, an increase of 0.8% compared to the previous quarter and 5.2% compared to last year

• 1,000 families were in bed and breakfast accommodation beyond the six week limit, a decrease of 16.7% compared to the previous quarter

Read the statutory homelessness statistics at Gov.uk.

Latest possession statistics

The Ministry of Justice released the latest quarterly possession statistics for the period April to June 2026. Key findings include:

• mortgage possession claims decreased by 20% compared to the same quarter in 2025

• landlord possession claims increased by 6% compared to the same quarter in 2025 – orders remained stable while warrants and repossessions decreased

• the median timeline for landlord repossessions is 27.1 weeks, a decrease of 0.8 weeks compared to the same quarter in 2025

Read the mortgage and landlord possession statistics at Gov.uk.

Women and the UK housing crisis

The Women's Budget Group think tank released a new report on the disadvantages and inequalities that women experience across the housing system. Key findings include:

• 33% of households in temporary accommodation in 2025 were single mothers with children

• average private rents in 2025 took up 42% of women's median earnings, compared to 29% of men's median earnings

• the average UK house price in 2025 was 13 times women's median earnings, compared to 9 times men's median earnings

Read the report on women and the UK housing crisis from the Women's Budget Group.

Accommodation outcomes for offenders

The Ministry of Justice published its annual statistics on the accommodation status of offenders following release, for the year to March 2026. Key findings include:

• 83.3% of offenders were housed on the night following release from custody, a decrease of 0.7% from the previous year

• 81% of offenders were in settled accommodation 3 months following release from custody

• offenders serving shorter custodial sentence lengths have poorer accommodation outcomes following release than those serving longer sentences

Read the offender accommodation outcomes statistics at Gov.uk.

Economic impact of social housing in London

The G15 group of housing associations published a new report on the economic contribution of people living in social housing in London. Key findings include:

• London's social homes create around £20 billion of social value each year, through savings for public services such as health and policing

• 65% of employed social housing residents are in key worker occupations

• social housing residents contribute over £9 to the economy for every £1 received in housing benefit

Read the report on the economic value of social housing from the G15 group.

Energy Performance Certificates

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government released the latest statistics on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) in England and Wales for April to June 2026. Key findings include:

• 486,000 EPCs were submitted to the register, a decrease of 10% compared to the same quarter in 2025

• 89% of new dwellings received an A or B rating

• existing homes were most commonly rated C or D

Read the Energy Performance Certificates statistics at Gov.uk.