Councils move hundreds of homeless families out of London with 24-hour ultimatums

Families living in London risked making themselves ‘intentionally homeless’ by refusing offers of housing in towns in the north-east and the Midlands, councils said. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian

Hundreds of homeless families were permanently forced out of London by councils last year after many were given 24-hour ultimatums to either accept a private tenancy far away from the capital or be kicked out of temporary accommodation and left on the streets.

The campaign group Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth (HASL) found that 319 households in 2023 accepted offers of a private tenancy outside London. They were often given 24 hours by council officials to accept homes out of the capital or risk making themselves “intentionally homeless” by refusing an offer.