Temporary Accommodation: 104 Child Deaths and a Government Failure to Act

In short

In April 2026, MPs called on the government for faster action. New data had linked the deaths of 104 children to conditions in temporary accommodation across England. If you live in temporary accommodation, you still have legal rights. But the route to enforce them differs from a normal tenancy.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman handles complaints. The Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018 still applies. And council social services have their own duties where children are involved.

What the new data showed

The figure comes from the Child Mortality in Temporary Accommodation report, produced by the Shared Health Foundation and the all-party group of MPs for households in temporary accommodation.

It found that 104 children died between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2025 with temporary accommodation recorded as a factor in their death. 76 of them were babies under one year old. The deaths were linked to conditions in the accommodation: mould, overcrowding, lack of heating, infestations, and unsuitable placements such as bed-and-breakfast rooms with no cooking facilities for families with young children.

MPs across parties have since pressed the government to:

• Cut the time families spend in temporary accommodation. Some families have been in "temporary" placements for more than five years.
• Stop placing children in B&Bs and hostels long term. The law already requires this, but enforcement is patchy.
• Apply the Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018 to temporary accommodation in the same way as it applies to permanent tenancies.

Why temporary accommodation tenants are in a legal gap

Temporary accommodation is provided under the council's homelessness duty, Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996. It is not a normal tenancy. The occupant usually holds a licence, or a non-secure tenancy with limited rights.

That has practical consequences for disrepair:

• Awaab's Law covers social tenants, not every temporary-accommodation placement. Whether it applies depends on the placement type and the landlord.
• Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 applies where there is a tenancy. Some placements are licences, and there Section 11 does not directly apply.
• The Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018 does apply to most temporary accommodation. For many residents it is the most reliable legal route.
• Complaints about temporary accommodation go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). That is the right route for these placements.

The LGSCO route is free. It is built for complaints about how the council has handled your placement, including whether the property is suitable and what condition it is in.

What you can do today

If the conditions are harming your health, or your children's, take these steps.

1. Get the housing officer's email address. Often the only contact you have is a phone line. Ask for the named officer's email and copy every complaint to them.
2. Report the problem to the building's manager or landlord too. Even where the council placed you, the landlord still has fitness duties.
3. Tell environmental health. The council's environmental health team can inspect for statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This works whether or not you are a tenant. See our explainer on Section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act.
4. See your doctor if anyone in the household has been ill. Ask for the link between the housing conditions and the illness to be noted in the records.
5. Complain to the LGSCO. Their website is lgo.org.uk and the service is free.
6. Speak to a children's centre, school or health visitor if children live with you. They can raise it with social services, which has its own duties under the Children Act 1989 where housing conditions are harming a child.

Where Support for Tenants can and can't help

Temporary accommodation sits at the edge of what a claims management company can usefully do. Where you have a tenancy (not a licence) and the disrepair has gone on, we can refer you to a panel solicitor. Where the placement is a B&B, a hostel or a clear licence, the LGSCO or Shelter (0808 800 4444) will usually serve you better, and we will tell you so.

The honest position: most temporary-accommodation complaints will not become legal claims. But the conditions are unlawful, and the routes to challenge them work. Use them.

Free call: 0800 030 4669. Even if we cannot take the case, we will point you to the right free service.

Sources: Child Mortality in Temporary Accommodation, Shared Health Foundation and the APPG for Households in Temporary Accommodation; The Big Issue coverage.

Support For Tenants is a trading name of Cyntex Group Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Claims Management Company. FRN 1020217. Registered in England and Wales.