The Housing Assurance Board of Croydon Council met on Monday 9 March 2026 to discuss the borough's homelessness and housing needs. Key discussions included the significant pressures on housing services due to increased demand, the management of temporary accommodation, and efforts to improve customer experience. The Board also reviewed the national strategy to end homelessness and its implications for Croydon.

Homelessness and Housing Needs Overview

The Board received an overview of the significant pressures facing Croydon's homelessness and housing needs services. Beatrice Cingtho-Taylor, Director of Housing – Homelessness Prevention & Accommodation, presented a video highlighting the scale of the challenge, noting a 50% increase in homelessness applications over the last two years, with over 3,600 households in temporary accommodation. She explained that Croydon faces acute pressure due to high demand and accommodation costs within the London market. The council has been working to reorganise its services, improve partnerships with the voluntary sector, and review its allocations policy. Significant efforts have been made to reduce the number of households in shared accommodation for extended periods, with no households remaining in such situations for over six weeks for nearly a year. The private rented sector team has been integrated into the housing department, with a focus on introducing a licensing scheme and working with landlords to sustain tenancies and improve conditions.

Questions were raised by Board members regarding void performance, the management of rough sleepers, and the impact of the Renters' Reform Act. In response to concerns about voids, Mary Larbie, Director of Housing Management, outlined a new structural approach to manage voids under her close oversight to reduce rent loss and financial pressure on the general fund. Regarding rough sleepers, it was noted that while the numbers are a concern, efforts are focused on engaging with entrenched rough sleepers and preventing second-night-out situations. The Renters' Reform Act was seen as an opportunity to reduce homelessness by abolishing Section 21 evictions, though concerns were raised about potential rent increases by landlords in anticipation of the Act.

National Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy

The Board received a briefing on the UK Government's A National Plan to End Homelessness, published in December 2025. This strategy aims to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring by focusing on prevention rather than crisis intervention. Key themes include increasing the supply of social and affordable homes, reforming the private rented sector through the Renters' Rights Act, and improving income support. The strategy also outlines medium-term changes to support councils in shifting from crisis to prevention, with new national targets and increased funding for homelessness services. Immediate actions focus on ending the use of Bed and Breakfast accommodation for families and improving the experience of those in temporary accommodation. The strategy is underpinned by transformed accountability, with new national targets for prevention, rough sleeping, and families in B&Bs, requiring councils to publish action plans.

Questions were raised about Croydon's specific targets for building or acquiring new homes and how these align with the national plan. It was noted that the council is focusing on acquisitions and will set targets in discussion with the administration, dependent on available funding. The discussion highlighted the complexity of supply-side opportunities, including new builds, nominations to housing associations, managing voids, downsizing, and tackling fraud.

Homelessness Demand Management

Beatrice Cingtho-Taylor presented an update on homelessness demand management, highlighting a significant reduction in new placements into temporary accommodation (TA) from 60% to 13% of applicants. This improvement is attributed to a new housing system, updated policies, and a focus on prevention. The council has seen a 20% reduction in total applications received in the first 10 months of 2024/25 compared to the previous year. The appointment only service model has helped manage resources effectively, and efforts are being made to prevent homelessness through mediation with families and working with private landlords to reduce evictions. The council's Housing General Fund budget for 2026-27 includes significant allocations for homelessness, rough sleeping, and domestic abuse grants.

Concerns were raised about the accuracy of waiting list numbers and the potential for raising expectations. The council is actively managing its housing register, including increasing the residency criteria from three to six years, to better reflect real demand. The proposed selective licensing scheme for private rented properties aims to raise landlord standards, with a focus on areas with evidence of management issues.

Temporary Accommodation

An update on temporary accommodation (TA) revealed a 10% reduction in households in TA, from 3,665 at the end of March 2025 to 3,287 by the end of January 2026. This reduction has been accelerated by the implementation of a stabilisation plan and the approval of various strategies and policies, including a Placements Policy for out-of-borough placements. Currently, 70% of households are placed within Croydon, and 30% are located outside the borough. The Board discussed the challenges of poor standards among some private sector landlords, an unmanaged portfolio of private sector TA, and the overuse of commercial hotels and shared facilities. Actions taken include developing an Approved Landlord Scheme, carrying out occupancy checks, ending the use of commercial hotels for extended periods, and procuring quality accommodation.

Significant discussion focused on the responsibilities of boroughs when placing residents in other local authorities. Concerns were raised about potential breaches of the Housing Act by boroughs failing to notify receiving authorities, leading to Croydon potentially bearing the costs for social care and other services. The council is mapping these costs and working to ensure inter-directorate collaboration. A new London-wide Accommodation Agreement is being developed to influence the market and improve transparency around placements.

Customer Experience

The Board received an update on the customer experience of homelessness services. Beatrice Cingtho-Taylor reported that the shift to an appointment only service model in September 2023 has improved the deployment of resources and ensured timely access for those at risk. Waiting times for appointments have reduced to approximately two weeks, and telephone response times have significantly improved since August 2025, when the Corporate Contact Centre began handling all calls. This has led to a reduction in call waiting times from an average of 30 minutes to less than 4 minutes. Ongoing training for the Contact Centre staff aims to increase their ability to resolve cases directly.

The Board noted the improvement in customer access, particularly the reduction in telephone waiting times. Questions were raised about expanding the housing call centre to handle homelessness calls and the qualitative aspects of customer satisfaction. The current focus is on answering calls and resolving a higher percentage of cases within the contact centre, with complex cases referred back to the homelessness team. The transfer of Stage 2 complaints ownership to the Housing Directorate is underway, with plans to recruit additional staff with the necessary expertise.

Forward Plan

The Board received and considered the Forward Plan, outlining deep dive items for the next two meetings. The Chair suggested that future discussions should include the Rent Standard, rent convergence, Ofgem regulation of heat networks, and HR issues. The Board agreed to a proposal for the Chair to meet with officers periodically to monitor progress on key actions throughout the summer, rather than waiting for the next formal meeting in September.

The meeting concluded with thanks to the officers and attendees for their contributions.