Authority Hub · Housing Decants
The UK playbook for housing decants.
Planned or unplanned — a decant only works when the residents do.
Housing decants are the temporary relocation of residents from their homes so essential works — cladding remediation, structural repair, fire reinstatement, damp-and-mould rectification, whole-block refurbishment — can be completed safely. Jigsaw manages the accommodation, welfare and reporting layer so operational teams can focus on the works themselves.
Planned vs unplanned decants
Planned decants happen on programme — cladding remediation waves, block-level refurbishment, decant-in / decant-out cycles for a defined works schedule. They can be sequenced, sized and priced in advance.
Unplanned decants happen when the property becomes uninhabitable without warning — a fire, a flood, a Section 20 safety notice, a criminal-damage incident. They demand a same-day or next-day placement, then a re-plan once the works timeline is understood.
The hardest cases sit between the two: a planned programme where households drop out at the last minute, or an unplanned incident where two months of remediation is now required. Jigsaw is designed for both.
What matters here
Programme-aware placements
Placements are sequenced to the works schedule — sequenced waves, block-level batching, staged returns.
Household-level suitability
Every household is placed against the Jigsaw Suitability Framework, not against the cheapest room.
Contractor-friendly reporting
Programme managers get progress dashboards, occupancy status, extension flags and cost tracking on demand.
Return-to-property protocol
When the works finish we manage the return, keys, resident sign-off and any deposit / condition handover.
Escalation for hard cases
Accessibility, safeguarding, extended-family or high-need households are handled by named account managers.
Public-sector fluent
Framework-friendly commercial terms; audit trails aligned to housing-officer, statutory-return and board-report needs.
Decant process end-to-end
- 1
Programme brief
Works schedule, block-level household list, accessibility register, target return dates, cost envelope.
- 2
Household matching
Each household is scored against suitability requirements. Placements are shortlisted, priced and confirmed.
- 3
Move-out
Removal coordination, welfare check, keys, cross-check against inventory. Communication with the works contractor.
- 4
In-decant support
Named account manager for the resident. Property replacement if the placement fails. Extension management if the works overrun.
- 5
Return
Return coordinated to the works completion date. Sign-off, damage check, key handover, resident satisfaction survey (via the Surveys platform).
Frequently asked questions
How long does a typical decant last?
What happens if a household refuses their placement?
Can we run this against a public-sector framework?
Brief us once. We handle every detail.
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