Temporary accommodation

How long will I stay in temporary housing? What other housing options are there?

As part of your homelessness application, your Housing Options Officer will work with you to complete a personal housing plan, setting out what the Council can do and what you must do to find long-term accommodation.

We strongly encourage everyone to consider all housing options.

Although there is no set time you could spend in temporary accommodation in Coventry, it is likely you could be on the housing register for many years as Coventry has a high demand for social housing and a shortage of properties.

You can use our calculator to find out the average waiting times for different sizes of social homes on Coventry Homefinder.

Private rented housing may provide a quicker solution and gives you more options to choose the area and type of property you live in. You can find more advice on finding a privately rented property on our housing advice pages 

You can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to help with upfront costs of a deposit and the first month’s rent.

We work with landlords to match people in temporary accommodation with properties they have available to let, under the Let’s Rent scheme.  Properties are inspected before being used and the council can provide a rent guarantee (up to the LHA rate) for 12 or 24 months. You can find out more details on the Let’s Rent webpage.

If you are a single person, a room in a shared house offers a cheaper alternative to renting a self-contained property and may give you a chance to save some money towards a deposit for your own place. 

If you would like to consider living in supported accommodation, you can discuss your options with your Housing Options Officer.

You can also consider living with family or friends.