Continuing trend in the wrong direction at risk of losing shock factor. How long will we have to wait for the trend to turn?
As of the 30th September 2025, there were 134,760 households, including 175,990 dependent children in TA, according to the latest government figures. These numbers are up 7% and 6.5%, respectively, from the previous year. This is no surprise; we keep reporting on record-breaking numbers, as more and more people find themselves stuck in TA.
Other headline figures include:
85,730 households (63.6% of households in TA) included dependent children, an increase of 1.8% from the previous quarter and 6.5% from the same time last year
There were 20.6 households living in TA per 1,000 households in London (average across the boroughs), compared with 2.8 per 1,000 in the Rest of England. Newham BC had the highest rate of TA in London, with 60.7 per 1,000 households
1,670 households with children in B&B accommodation had been resident for more than the statutory limit of 6-weeks. This is down 54.4% from 3,660 on 30th September 2024, and down 21.6% from 2,130 in the previous quarter
Out of Area placements increased 6.7% on the same time last year, to a total of 41,250 households. That is more than 30% of all households in TA.
The most common length of time for households with children to have spent in TA was 2-5 years, with some exceeding that length of time. This period of time can cover multiple and sudden moves, so should not be mistaken for continuity.
What the numbers don’t say
These figures paint a stark picture of a growing segment of the population, for whom living in one of the largest economies in the world holds little promise of access to secure housing. But there is much they don’t reveal. Behind each of these numbers is a person in crisis. We need better data gathering and sharing to be able to track the lived experience behind the stats and understand the full scale of the crisis.
For example, nearly 2000 people have been moved out of B&Bs in the year between 30th September 2024 and 2025. This is good news; finally, a trend that is going down. But the figures don’t show us where they have been placed instead, and so we don’t know if one unsuitable accommodation has been replaced with another.
One concern is that they have been placed Out of Area, losing connection with known services, support networks and schools, and at risk of getting lost in the system. As Local Authorities are under pressure, the number of people being sent away from their local area continues to rise.
The new normal?
While the numbers may not surprise, they should still shock. B&B accommodation is not the only form of unsuitable TA. We hear numerous stories of damp and mould, pest infestations, disabled people stuck indoors and children without a safe place to play being reported across different types of accommodation. It is no exaggeration to say that conditions can be deadly.
However, as we continue to report record-breaking numbers in TA every time new data is released, there is a risk that people become numb to the depth and scale of it. It felt momentous when the number surpassed 100,000 for the first time four years ago. There are now 33,460 additional households in TA, and sounding the alarm can feel hollow. The risk is that this becomes normalised, which is really just another word for accepted.
We mustn’t let that happen. There are two concerns: a housing and benefit system that simultaneously pushes people into homelessness and keeps them there, and the often horrendous conditions and experiences of people while in TA. We need to address both.
Justlife will always stand by those who are placed in unsuitable accommodation in their time of need, working alongside Government and other actors in the sector towards TA that is a short, safe and healthy support service, within a larger housing system that is fit for purpose.
To this end, we recently gave evidence to a Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee on TA. You can see the full session here.
And you can read more about how we work on the frontline here.
