The London councils not tracking evictions when buying temporary accommodation

Landlords selling tenant-occupied homes to London councils could be evicting existing renters to make way for households needing temporary accommodation.

An investigation by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has found that 11 London authorities do not record whether tenants were required to leave properties before councils bought them with vacant possession.

The website MyLondon reports that the councils said responsibility for securing an empty property rested with the seller.

As a result, they could not say whether their acquisitions had contributed to homelessness elsewhere in the capital.

Tenants losing homes

London Renters Union said councils should concentrate on rebuilding social housing rather than relying on temporary accommodation purchases.

Union spokesperson Jae Vail said that temporary accommodation is a short-term fix to a long-term problem.

He added: “We’ve seen social and council housing sold off for Right to Buy, it was demolished especially in parts of London, and we should be focusing on building back that stock rather than pouring money into temporary accommodation.”

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We expect councils to make sure tenants aren’t unfairly caught out when they’re purchasing homes for housing stock – but our renters reforms mean no one can be kicked out for no reason.”

Block purchase for evictions

The LDRS’ findings follow the proposed purchase of a block in Kew by Westminster City Council for temporary accommodation.

More than 30 households were already living in the building, and Richmond Council criticised the decision after tenants were told to leave.

Westminster said the sale was agreed on the basis that the properties would be vacant, with the building’s owner, Dorrington, responsible for removing tenants.

Freedom of Information requests were subsequently sent to all 32 London borough councils and the City of London Corporation.

Which councils evicted tenants

Eight authorities did not respond to the request, while several councils said they had made no relevant purchases during the period.

Enfield Council recorded two households that were evicted through Section 21 notices in 2024 before their homes were purchased.

Kingston Council said no tenants had been evicted from homes it acquired.

However, some occupiers had left voluntarily after their landlords informed them that the properties would be sold.

Brent Council bought 30 homes during 2025 and a further 20 in 2026, all within the borough but didn’t hold records.

Hackney Council purchased 43 units for temporary accommodation between March 2024 and March 2026 but also didn’t record.

Southwark Council said it did not maintain a register of properties purchased for temporary accommodation and could not provide figures on their previous occupation.

Westminster’s records included acquisitions in Richmond, Newham and its own borough. Most were listed as previously occupied, with the sellers responsible for obtaining vacant possession.