We provide Emergency Temporary Accommodation (ETA) to customers when they become homeless. ETA is provided as an interim measure to relieve your homelessness. It is not a long-term solution to your housing problem.

We will make you one suitable offer of ETA. We will make this offer based on the information that you provide during your housing needs assessment.

If you do not accept our offer of suitable ETA, we will not help you find any other emergency temporary accommodation. You will have to make your own housing arrangements until we make you a long-term offer of accommodation, which may take a significant amount of time. You should consider moving into affordable private rented accommodation. You may be eligible for support in finding private rented accommodation through our let2barnet team who you can contact on 0208 239 4761. Note that your long-term offer is likely to be a form of private rented accommodation.

You do not have to move into ETA in order for us to assist you with long-term accommodation. If you are able to stay with family or friends temporarily instead of in ETA, please let us know. Staying with family and friends will be more convenient if you want to stay in a particular area, as we cannot guarantee you will be provided ETA in that area.

Key things to remember:

  • You will be provided with accommodation on the day before you become homeless.
  • Accommodation will be provided to meet your minimum needs rather than what you want.
  • Accommodation will likely be outside Barnet and may be outside London.
  • It may not have as many bedrooms as you need. ETA is only intended to relieve immediate homelessness.
  • You will need to arrange storage for your non-essential belongings.
  • If your benefits have been capped, you may need to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment to help pay the rent.

You can download a copy of Barnet Council’s Temporary Accommodation Placements Policy by clicking here, and our Temporary Accommodation Procurement Policy by clicking here.