Authority Page · Public Sector Decants
Public sector decant accommodation, managed as one programme.
For councils, housing associations, ALMOs and public bodies moving residents out — on programme or at speed — while works are delivered.
A public sector decant is the temporary relocation of residents from publicly owned or socially rented housing so that works can be completed safely. Jigsaw Conferences runs the accommodation side: hotels for the first nights, self-contained accommodation for the works period, household-level suitability matching, and one consolidated invoice per case.
- Local authorities
- Housing associations
- ALMOs
- NHS & public bodies
What counts as a public sector decant
Decants in the public sector fall into two broad families. Planned decants run on a programme: cladding remediation waves, block refurbishment, damp-and-mould rectification under statutory timescales, regeneration schemes with defined move-out and return dates. Emergency decants happen when a property or block becomes uninhabitable without warning — a safety notice, a structural failure, a fire or flood, a building evacuation.
Both families share the same accommodation problem: households need somewhere suitable to live, for an uncertain period, with welfare, cost and audit obligations that sit with the public body — not with the residents.
Planned programme decants
Remediation, refurbishment and regeneration programmes with a works schedule — sequenced in waves, priced in advance, returns staged to completion.
Emergency relocation decants
Safety notices, evacuations and sudden loss of habitability — same-day hotel placements, then a re-plan into self-contained accommodation.
Statutory-driven decants
Alternative accommodation duties, including hazard rectification under Awaab's Law, where the works cannot be completed around the household.
Mixed and long-tail cases
Programmes that overrun, households that refuse a placement, accessibility and safeguarding cases that need named-contact handling.
Where this page fits
This page covers the commercial service: how public bodies buy and run decant accommodation with Jigsaw. If you want the educational playbook — how UK decants are structured, planned-versus-unplanned mechanics, suitability and refusal handling — read the Housing Decants hub. Housing associations planning a works-driven decant programme have a dedicated page, as do councils needing project-based emergency relocation.
Buying decant accommodation: programme vs placement-by-placement
| Bought as a programme | Bought placement-by-placement | |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial terms | Pre-agreed rates, wave budgeting, one consolidated invoice per case | Spot rates per booking, invoices from multiple suppliers |
| Suitability | Every household scored against a suitability framework before placement | Whatever is available on the night |
| Extensions | Extension protocol agreed in advance — who approves, on what evidence | Silent extensions accumulate until finance notices |
| Audit trail | Single case file per household from first call to return | Fragmented records across bookings and inboxes |
| Cost visibility | Weekly reporting on live decants, cost per household per week | Discovered at invoice time |
Most decant cost leakage is structural — it comes from buying accommodation as isolated bookings instead of one accountable programme.
How a decant programme runs with Jigsaw
Programme brief
Works schedule, household list, accessibility register, target return dates and cost envelope — or, in an emergency, whatever is known at the first call.
Suitability matching
Each household is matched against schools, work, accessibility, family composition and support needs before a placement is confirmed.
Placement
Hotels to stabilise the first nights where needed; self-contained serviced accommodation for the works period.
In-decant management
Named account contact, welfare check-ins, extension management when the works overrun, re-placement if a placement breaks down.
Return and closure
Returns coordinated to works completion, case files closed with a full audit trail, consolidated invoicing reconciled.
Delivered decant evidence
Our delivery record spans emergency group decants, large-family relocations, COVID-19 continuity programmes, personal-safety relocations and housing association works programmes. Housing associations we publicly work with include Peabody, L&Q, Moat Housing, Watford Community Housing and MTVH. Two published case studies:
14 households, under 24 hours
Escape-of-water decant in Manchester — every household placed inside a day, one consolidated invoice.
Read the case study →
60 key workers, 3 cities
NHS key-worker accommodation programme with cost-centre-coded billing and 98% satisfaction.
Read the case study →
These are historical delivered outcomes from specific cases — not universal service guarantees or published SLA commitments.
Related pages
Housing association decants
Works-driven decant programmes for registered providers.
Council emergency relocation
Project-based emergency relocation for local authorities.
Decant contingency planning
How to write and test a decant contingency plan.
Procuring emergency relocation
Routes to contract: direct award, frameworks, evaluation.
Housing Decants hub
The educational UK decant playbook.
Public Sector Accommodation hub
Programmes for councils, NHS and government.
Frequently asked questions
What is a public sector decant?
A public sector decant is the temporary relocation of residents from council, housing association or other publicly owned housing so that works can be delivered — remediation, refurbishment, structural repair or a safety programme. Residents move into alternative accommodation and return when the property is ready.
Can you support an emergency relocation decant project at short notice?
Yes. Where a safety notice, evacuation or sudden loss of habitability forces residents out without warning, we place households into hotels for the first nights and re-plan into self-contained accommodation once the works timeline is understood. Every placement sits on one case file from the first call.
How is the accommodation paid for and invoiced?
One consolidated invoice per case or per programme, cost-centre coded where required. Commercial terms are agreed in writing before the programme starts and rates are visible on every shortlist.
Do you work under public-sector frameworks?
Yes. Jigsaw Conferences Ltd is one of four appointed suppliers on the Procurement for Housing (PfH) Temporary Accommodation & Decant Managed Services framework (live to 23 July 2027), which housing associations, local authorities and ALMOs can use by direct award or mini-competition. Direct award with a documented urgency justification is also common for emergency decants.
Talk to the team that runs the accommodation side, so your team can run the programme.
Last reviewed: August 2026 · Jigsaw Conferences Ltd