Framework published · Data collection in progress · No findings released yet
Housing Decant Index
A recurring measurement of UK housing decants: how long they actually run, how often they overrun, why placements break down, and what programmes really cost.
Programme lead: Katie Richardson, Operations Director · Last reviewed June 2026
No synthetic data. This page publishes the framework only. Figures will appear here exclusively when genuine, aggregated operational evidence meets the sample requirements below. Public-source context is always attributed.
Scope & purpose
The Housing Decant Index measures planned and unplanned decants delivered for housing associations, local authorities and their contractors — cladding remediation waves, block refurbishments, fire and flood reinstatement, and damp-and-mould rectification programmes.
Decants are the sector's least-measured major spend. Programme business cases are built on assumed durations and assumed accommodation costs; the Index exists to replace assumption with evidence. It covers decant programmes of one household upwards, reported by programme type and works category. Geography: England, Scotland and Wales.
Definitions
- Planned decant
- A resident move scheduled against a works programme with more than 72 hours between instruction and move-out.
- Unplanned decant
- A resident move triggered by the property becoming uninhabitable without warning — incident, safety notice or emergency works.
- Decant duration
- Elapsed time from the household leaving the property to the completed return move (or permanent rehousing decision).
- Extension
- Any lengthening of a placement beyond its initially booked end date, whatever the cause.
- Placement breakdown
- A placement ended for suitability reasons before works completion, requiring re-placement of the household.
- Programme decant
- A decant involving five or more households moved under a single works programme.
Metrics to be published
| Metric | Measured as | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Median decant duration | Weeks, by works category (remediation, fire/flood, damp and mould, refurbishment) | Collecting |
| Overrun rate | Percentage of decants exceeding the initially planned duration, and median overrun length | Collecting |
| Extension visibility | Percentage of extensions approved before, versus after, they began | Collecting |
| Placement breakdown rate & causes | Percentage requiring re-placement, with coded causes (needs capture, property, resident circumstances) | Collecting |
| Accommodation mix | Hotel vs serviced apartment vs house share of decant nights, by stay-length band | Collecting |
| Return completion | Percentage of decants ending in a completed return move vs permanent rehousing | Collecting |
Methodology & collection process
- 1
Source
Anonymised case records from Jigsaw-managed decant placements and programmes, captured in the normal course of delivery.
- 2
Programme linkage
Households within a programme are linked so programme-level metrics (waves, staged returns, overruns) are measured as delivered, not inferred.
- 3
Aggregation
All outputs are aggregated; no household, client, block or contractor is identifiable in any published figure.
- 4
Public-source contextualisation
Findings are contextualised against Regulator of Social Housing publications and Housing Ombudsman insight reports — always cited, never blended with operational data.
- 5
Review and sign-off
Each release is reviewed operationally for accuracy and editorially for methodology compliance before publication.
Sample requirements & update frequency
- No metric publishes with fewer than 50 qualifying decant cases in the reporting period.
- No works-category breakdown publishes with fewer than 15 qualifying cases in that category.
- Programme-level metrics require a minimum of 5 completed programmes in the reporting window.
- Update frequency: twice yearly, with the sample size stated on every published figure.
- Methodology changes are versioned and disclosed alongside the affected release.
Jigsaw Operational Insights — coming soon
Findings will publish here, clearly labelled as Jigsaw operational data, once every threshold above is met. Until then, use the verified public sources listed on the research programme page for sector context.