Islington Council's recent survey reveals that the majority of residents in temporary accommodation (TA) are happy with their housing, but concerns about repairs persist. The findings were discussed at a Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting on Tuesday 11 November 2025.
Of the 50 surveys returned from residents in ex-right to buy properties or council-owned Reception Centres, 72% said their temporary accommodation met or exceeded expectations, and 84% were happy with the support received from council officers. However, while 62% found it very easy to report repairs and 72% said repairs were conducted promptly, this still leaves a significant portion of residents who experience difficulties with the repair process. Delays in repairs are the top reason for complaints, with 387 stage 1 complaints related to this issue according to the Annual Complaints Report 2024-25 final draft. For context, the housing service logs 130,000 repairs annually, meaning that the related complaints figure represents around 0.3% of the total number of repairs completed.
The committee reviewed the survey results as part of a broader discussion on homelessness and temporary accommodation standards. Other key findings from the survey included that 90% of respondents had never had to complain about the standards of their temporary accommodation.
To address the ongoing concerns and improve service delivery, the committee agreed to several actions:
- Regularly refresh the survey to ensure standards are maintained and issues are addressed.
- Merge the survey with a Homeless Link review on customer focus groups for homeless households to develop an improvement plan. The specific details of the Homeless Link review were not detailed in the meeting information, but the committee agreed to merge the survey with the review to develop an improvement plan.
- Facilitate a service user engagement event regarding standards in buyback temporary accommodation.
- Improve the ease of reporting repairs for households in council-owned temporary accommodation. The committee agreed to
Improve the ease of reporting repairs for households in council-owned temporary accommodation.
Councillor Hannah McHugh, Chair of Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee and Equalities Champion, emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards in temporary accommodation and addressing resident concerns promptly. The committee's decisions reflect a commitment to improving the living conditions and support services for Islington's most vulnerable residents.
