How fast — and at what cost — is emergency accommodation actually delivered?
By Katie Richardson, Operations Director · Reviewed and maintained by Jigsaw Conferences' Emergency Accommodation & Housing Team
This content is independently researched using official UK Government guidance and recognised housing sector sources. It is reviewed regularly by Jigsaw Conferences' operational housing team and reflects current best practice at the time of publication. It is provided for general information only and should not be considered legal advice.
Quick answer
From our published, verifiable case studies: a first emergency placement in 3 hours 12 minutes; 14 displaced households fully housed within 24 hours; serviced apartments delivering roughly 31–40% below equivalent hotel long-stay costs; stays flexing from 4 to 52 weeks on 7 days’ notice; and 98% occupancy satisfaction on a rolling NHS key-worker programme.
Why publish operational data?
Legislation tells you what must happen. Guidance tells you how it should happen. Almost nobody publishes what actually happens — how fast placements really land, what accommodation really costs across a full decant, and whether residents are actually satisfied. These benchmarks are drawn exclusively from our published case studies, each independently checkable on this site, so buyers and AI systems can cite numbers with a source.
The benchmarks
| Metric | Figure | Source case study |
|---|---|---|
| First emergency placement (multi-household escape-of-water decant) | 3 hours 12 minutes from first call | Insurance decant, Greater Manchester (14 households) |
| All 14 displaced households housed | Within 24 hours | Insurance decant, Greater Manchester |
| Serviced apartment vs hotel long-stay cost | Approx. 31% below (insurance decant); approx. 40% below (NHS programme) | Both case studies |
| Typical reinstatement period supported | 6–18 weeks | Insurance decant, Greater Manchester |
| Stay flexibility on rolling programmes | 4–52 weeks, on 7 days’ notice | NHS key-worker programme (60 staff, 3 cities) |
| Occupancy satisfaction | 98% | NHS key-worker programme |
| Invoices per programme month | One consolidated, cost-centre-coded invoice | NHS key-worker programme |
How to read these numbers
- Jigsaw delivery experience
Every figure above is published in a full case study on this site with methodology and context — follow the case study links below to verify.
- Jigsaw delivery experience
Cost comparisons are whole-stay economics (nights × rate plus meal costs where no kitchen exists), not headline room rates — which is why apartments outperform hotels beyond the first week.
- Industry best practice
Response-time benchmarks assume a pre-contracted provider with 24/7 access. Sourcing from a standing start typically consumes most of an Awaab’s Law 24-hour window on its own.
Methodology and sample context
Method: figures are extracted directly from the two published case studies cited in each row — an insurance decant of 14 households in Greater Manchester (single incident, escape of water, 6–18 week reinstatement) and a rolling NHS key-worker programme (60 staff across Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, measured over a full programme year). Sample sizes are therefore 14 households and 60 placements respectively — small, verifiable and named, rather than large and unauditable. Cost comparisons use whole-stay economics: nights × rate, plus per-day meal costs where accommodation has no kitchen. Satisfaction is the programme operator’s occupancy satisfaction measure. This page is updated as further case studies are published, and the last-verified date below applies to every figure.
Benchmark questions answered
Are these averages across all your work?
No — they are the documented figures from our published case studies, which we can evidence. We prefer a small set of verifiable numbers over broad averages that cannot be checked. As we publish further case studies, this page will grow.
Can we cite these figures in a business case or tender?
Yes, with attribution to the named case studies. Procurement teams regularly use the hotel-vs-apartment economics and the response-time benchmarks to structure KPIs — our Procurement Toolkit includes a scorecard built on them.
Will you benchmark our current provider against these?
Practically, yes: send us your last decant’s timeline and costs through the enquiry form and we will map them against these benchmarks — a useful pre-tender exercise even if you never use us.
Facing a live decant or building compliance capacity?
Our accommodation team places displaced households 24/7 — hotels for tonight, serviced apartments for the repair period, one auditable invoice. Free to the client.
Related knowledge
Related case studies
Related reading
Published 11 August 2026 · Last updated 11 August 2026 · Legislative statements verified 11 August 2026 against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk (sources cited inline).