We have a legal duty to provide suitable accommodation for people who are homeless, eligible for help, in priority need, and not intentionally homeless. Normally, this duty ends once we offer them suitable social housing (affordable housing provided through housing associations).
The Localism Act 2011 changed the law to give us another option. We can now meet our housing duty by offering a private rented home instead. This must be a proper tenancy of at least 12 months, and we must make sure the home is suitable for the household.
When we make this offer, it has to be in writing. We must explain what happens if the applicant accepts or refuses the offer, and also tell them about their right to ask for a review if they think the home is not suitable.
If we end our housing duty with a private rented offer and the household becomes homeless again within two years (through no fault of their own), we must accept them as homeless, even if they don’t meet the priority need test.
This policy explains when and how we will use this power to end our housing duty by offering private rented accommodation instead of social housing.