Emergency transfer and temporary re-housing policy
Cross Keys Homes is committed to ensuring that all residents can enjoy a safe, comfortable, and peaceful living environment, both within their homes and in the wider community, free from significant risk and antisocial behaviour.
The emergency transfer and temporary re-housing policy describes what we will do for residents and the process we will follow if this cannot be achieved and it would be unreasonable to follow the standard reallocation procedure.
The transfer may be either temporary re-housing or a permanent move and this policy ensures affected residents are moved as quickly as possible.
Our commitment to you
- We will make sure you home if safe for you and your household. As soon as we are aware that your home is unsafe, we will investigate and aim to make it safe within 24 hours.
- If we cannot do this we will work with you to provide suitable alternative accommodation at our cost.
Emergency transfers in response to Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
We will take every action we are able to take to resolve conflicts between neighbours as soon as possible. Where someone needs to move urgently due to a significant risk of harm or other extenuating circumstances, we will support you with an emergency transfer, when it is unreasonable to follow our normal letting processes and timeframes as set out in our Lettings policy.
We will consider emergency transfers when:
- There is significant risk of harm, or a clear and present danger (generally requiring police agreement), to members of the household should they remain in their current home.
- There have been threats of, or actual violence, supported by evidence from the police to a known occupant of the home.
- The household is suffering harm or harassment from persistent and serious anti-social behaviour, and there is evidence that a swift resolution is not possible to prevent further harm.
- The household is inappropriately housed and the detrimental impact of this means there is a risk of tenancy failure, supported by evidence from medical/social care professionals to demonstrate there is a significant level of harm.
It will be expected that in most cases, supporting evidence should be provided that clearly demonstrates that one or more of the above criteria is met and that there is no alternative solution but to move and it is not based on under occupancy or overcrowding alone.
What happens when you need an emergency transfer in response to Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
Your Neighbourhood Manager (ASB) will discuss options with you, ensure you meet the criteria and gather the evidence, if we do not have it already. In most cases we need evidence from the police to support an emergency transfer.
We will then complete an inspection of your home, and we expect the home to be in a good standard to proceed with the transfer. We also need the rent account to be clear in order to proceed. If there are exceptional reasons why these conditions can’t be met, we will consider them on a case-by-case basis.
If you do not meet the conditions for an emergency transfer, we will advise you on alternative ways to move, such as mutual exchange. We can also consider supporting you with additional security measures.
If your application meets the criteria, we will follow advice from the police as to where you should be moved to ensure your safety. This may involve a move out of your current area and this may not be a CKH home, especially if you live, or are moving outside the Peterborough area.
We will find an appropriate home for you, and you can visit the home before agreeing to move there. We expect you to accept the first reasonable offer we make to you and may withdraw the offer of an emergency transfer if you refuse a reasonable offer. You will also be expected to pay four weeks’ rent in advance on your new home. If you are unable to do this, we will make an agreement with you to get your account into credit within a reasonable time.
Once you have moved, we will arrange a settling in visit with you within three weeks. We will ensure you have settled in well and can refer you to further support should you require it.
Appealing a refused transfer
If we refuse an emergency transfer you can appeal the decision within 21 days. You must appeal in writing and submit any evidence you feel would support a transfer.
The Director of Operations, or another Assistant Director/ Service Manager not involved in the application, will undertake a review of the case based on the evidence submitted and decide whether to overturn or uphold the original decision. Appeals will be heard within seven days upon receipt. We will write to you to inform you of the outcome of your appeal.
Temporary re-housing if you home is not safe
In line with Awaab’s Law we aim to make your home safe within 24 hours of receiving a report of a potential emergency hazard or an emergency or significant hazard of damp and mould. If we cannot meet this timescale, or those outlined in our Repairs and Maintenance and Damp and Mould policies we will provide you with emergency or temporary accommodation at our expense.
Every time you report a repair or damp and mould, we will ask a series of questions to gain a better understanding of the repair and your individual circumstances. This will help us identify the works required and the severity/impact of the problem and any immediate risks. We will use all the available information to decide if the repair or damp and mould is a potential emergency or significant hazard. This could be different for different residents and at different times of the year as it will depend on the individual circumstances. A surveyor will investigate and assess each report on a case-by-case basis to establish the work required and if there is a need for emergency accommodation.
Our aim is to ensure you home if safe and presents no imminent or significant risk of harm.
Examples of emergency hazards include:
- Issues affecting doors security (individual or communal) either preventing access or unable to lock.
- Broken boilers (depending on individual circumstances).
- Total loss of water supply.
- Gas leaks.
- Electrical hazards such as exposed wiring.
- Significant leaks.
- Significant damp and/or mould that could impact on your health.
- Significant structural defects or disrepair.
- When there has been major internal disruption such as collapsed ceilings because of internal flooding or significant smoke damage because of a fire.
- When damp and mould is present which causes a significant risk of harm to you.
- When a major health and safety or environmental issue are present that have the potential to endanger life or cause injury, for example asbestos, subsidence, etc.
What happens when you need temporary accommodation if your home is not safe
Whenever it is unsafe for you to stay at home, we will work with you to find suitable alternative accommodation. This could be temporary re-housing or on a permanent basis. A permanent move may be agreed if it is likely you will not be able to return home for months (eg due to a fire) or if returning would cause significant trauma to you or your family.
We will meet the cost of removals where applicable and we may cover the costs of utilities if required at your existing home, otherwise we will request that you contact your providers to cancel these. You will also be required to set up utilities in your new home.
We will support you to notify the relevant Local Authority that the property is unhabitable, so you are not liable for council tax.
If we re-house you on a temporary basis to an alternative CKH home your tenancy will not be affected. You will receive a license agreement for the temporary re-housing. You will still be responsible for the rent at your original home, but you will not have to pay any additional rent for your temporary accommodation. The conditions of your tenancy will still apply.
If you refuse the offer of alternative accommodation and then change your mind, we are not required to make further offers of suitable alternative accommodation. We are also not obliged to offer you alternative accommodation if you return to your home before the work is complete and you then change your mind. In either of these situations, you need to inform us of your decision in writing.
We will keep you updated throughout the process and provide information on progress and expected timescales for the work to be completed.
Moving back
Once we have confirmed with you the date you can return home, you will need to make all the necessary arrangements to move. We will support you as appropriate to your individual circumstances.
Once you return home, if at any time there is a material change in circumstances (such as further hazards, increased risk level or a change in the vulnerability of household members) we will work with you again to find suitable alternative accommodation.
Further information
Who is responsible for managing the Emergency Transfer and Temporary Re-housing Policy
Legislation and regulation
This policy is written in accordance with and meets the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
- Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHRS) and the Decent Homes Standard
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
- Environmental Protection Act 1990
- The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (HFHHA)
- Equality Act 2010
- Awaab’s Law 2025
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We understand that some residents might have unique situations, such as medical conditions, disabilities, or vulnerabilities, which may require us to adjust how we provide our services. This commitment aligns with the Equality Act 2010. We also recognise that disabilities or other challenges can be hidden or temporary. We depend on residents or those supporting them to inform us about any additional needs they have, and to update us if these needs change, so we can respond accordingly.
Here are some examples of how we might implement this policy:
- Adjusting our service standards or timeframes where a delay would put a resident at increased risk because of a disability or health condition.
- An adjustment to how we communicate with our residents to meet their specific needs. For example, providing information in alternative ways for people who are visually or hearing impaired.
- Supporting residents with additional costs due to there individual circumstances eg needing specific medical equipment.
For further information please see our Residents Preference policy.
Information sharing
Cross Keys Homes has an information sharing agreement with key agencies and contractors to share information in relation to the delivery of our services. Information shared must be relevant and the Data Protection Procedure adhered to when handling data. You can find more information about how we manage your data in our Transparency and Privacy Policy.
Monitoring and review
The Emergency Transfer Policy was written and approved in October 2025 and will be reviewed every two years – next review September 2027.