Tenant-First Decant & Emergency Accommodation
We design every move as if it were our own home โ that's why resident panels trust us and landlords sleep at night.
Specialist tenant decant, emergency rehousing and planned maintenance programmes for housing associations, councils, ALMOs and managing agents across the UK.
Getting decants wrong is no longer an option
Decanting used to be treated as a logistics problem. Today it sits at the intersection of safety, equality, mental health, legal risk and public scrutiny.
Awaab's Law and damp & mould failures mean providers are under pressure to act fast when homes are unsafe โ including decanting where necessary.
โ Housing OmbudsmanHousing Ombudsman decisions regularly criticise landlords for poor communication, unsuitable temporary homes and a lack of support for vulnerable tenants during decants.
โ Housing OmbudsmanHigh Court challenges and equality duties mean that failing to consider disability, health, carers, language needs and other vulnerabilities is now a serious legal and reputational risk.
โ Local Government LawyerTenants and resident panels are more informed than ever. They know what 'good' looks like โ and they know when they're being treated as a problem to be moved, not as people whose lives are being disrupted.
โ Tenant Feedback"If this move wouldn't be acceptable for our own family, it's not acceptable for yours."
What 'tenant-first' really means in practice
Anyone can say they're 'resident focused'. We hard-wire it into every stage of the programme:
Whole-household view, not just a name on a tenancy
We map every person in the home โ children, carers, elders, people with disabilities, neurodivergent residents, pets โ and plan around their daily reality: school runs, work commutes, medical appointments, faith practice and social support.
Trauma-informed as standard
Being decanted โ especially after a fire, flood, cladding issue or serious disrepair โ can be traumatic. We train our teams and partners in trauma-informed practice, so residents feel heard, not handled.
Plain-English, multi-language communication
We remove jargon, use accessible formats and provide translated materials, interpreters and alternative formats (large print, easy-read, BSL-friendly routes) where needed.
Choice wherever the policy allows
Within your allocations and policy framework, we build in genuine choices on location, type of accommodation and move dates, especially for disabled residents and families with complex needs.
One consistent point of contact
Residents should never feel bounced around. Each household gets a named liaison so they always know 'who to call'.
A joined-up model for planned and emergency decants
Early engagement with tenants & resident panel
Pre-programme workshops and Q&A sessions with tenants and panel reps. Co-designed 'Resident Charter' that sets out what tenants can expect at every stage. Risk mapping of vulnerabilities, equality impacts and potential flashpoints.
- Pre-programme workshops and Q&A sessions
- Co-designed 'Resident Charter'
- Risk mapping of vulnerabilities and equality impacts
Individual Household Decant Plan
For each household we create a concise Household Decant Plan covering accessibility, health factors, school/work responsibilities, pets, vehicle needs, and preferences.
- Accessibility and mobility needs assessment
- Health and mental health factors (with consent)
- School, work and care responsibilities
- Pets and vehicle needs
- Preferences and absolute red lines
Property sourcing via national network
Extensive UK-wide network of serviced apartments, aparthotels, short-let houses, specialist accessible units. We match pace with suitability, dignity and stability.
- Serviced apartments and aparthotels
- Short-let houses and flats
- Specialist accessible units
- Emergency hotels (short-term only)
Move support & on-the-day logistics
Coordinated removal, packing and storage. Chaperoned moves for vulnerable residents. Practical touches: food vouchers, utility set-up support, school notifications, GP registration.
- Coordinated removal and storage
- Chaperoned moves for vulnerable residents
- Food vouchers and utility set-up
- School and GP registration support
During works: staying connected
Regular welfare check-ins tailored to resident's preference. Clear timelines with honest updates. Optional trauma-informed mental health and wellbeing support.
- Regular welfare check-ins
- Clear timelines and honest updates
- Mental health and wellbeing support
- Accessible communication channels
Return, re-housing or permanent move
Plan the return/rehousing with same care as initial move. Walk through snagging and property condition. Capture feedback and learning for boards and tenant panels.
- Carefully planned returns
- Property condition walk-throughs
- Feedback capture and learning
- Board and panel reporting
Digital portal for real-world complexity
Built for real-world estates, not clean spreadsheets
Our digital and operational model has been stress-tested using high-rise estate scenarios: mixed blocks with families, single people, older residents, disabled tenants, multi-language households and varied tenure types, all facing intrusive works.
Phased 'wave' moves
Blocks can be safely remediated without chaos
Multiple stakeholder management
Handle multiple landlords/agents in one estate
Resident-centric approach
Support for anxious residents exhausted from building safety issues
Portal Features:
More than beds and keys
Most decant providers do logistics. We close the gaps that matter:
Tenant experience, not just unit numbers
We measure satisfaction at multiple points and use this to adjust programmes in real time.
Trauma-aware, not trauma-blind
We design for people who have lived through fire alarms, waking watches, years of damp and mould โ not just a 'routine move'.
Digital transparency, not black-box decisions
Your teams and tenant reps can see progress through dashboards, not opaque spreadsheets.
Equality & accessibility baked in
We take Equality Act, Care Act and housing obligations seriously โ not as fine print.
Whole-system thinking
We understand how decants interact with homelessness duties, allocations, void loss and your corporate plan.
Outcomes for your board and your regulators
Working with us helps you:
Reduce Ombudsman and legal risk
Clear policies in action, evidence of fair treatment and robust communication records.
Protect your brand and political reputation
During high-profile building safety and regeneration schemes.
Control cost and void loss
Through structured wave planning, better data on occupancy, and fewer failed offers.
Demonstrate social value
Trauma-informed practice, support into work/education, community-building activity.
We integrate with your existing decant and allocations policies rather than fighting them. Where your policy is out of date, we can work with your teams, external lawyers and tenant reps to reshape it.
When Mental Health & Well-being Come First
For decants involving residents with complex needs, trauma, or vulnerability, our specialized trauma-informed accommodation service provides therapeutic environments, mental health support, and trained well-being liaison officers.
Trauma-Informed
Accommodation Services
Specialized Service: Designed for housing associations, councils, and enterprise clients with statutory responsibilities for tenant welfare during decants.
What you can expect from us
If you're a resident affected by works, we believe you should have:
- Clear reasons why a decant is needed, and what happens if you choose not to move
- Fair offers of temporary homes that consider your household's needs
- Written confirmation that your tenancy continues while you're away, and that you'll only pay rent for one home
- Support with the move, including help for disabled residents, older people and those with caring responsibilities
- Regular updates โ even if the update is 'there's no change yet, but this is what we're doing'
- A safe route to raise concerns or complaints without fear of your housing situation being put at risk
Tenant Panel Involvement
We actively invite tenant panels into the process โ from co-designing communications and charters, to reviewing data on how residents are experiencing the programme (in an anonymised, GDPR-compliant way).
Safeguarding, data protection and GDPR
Built for scrutiny from day one
Safeguarding
All frontline staff and move coordinators are trained to spot safeguarding concerns and escalate via agreed pathways with your teams.
GDPR & data ethics
We handle sensitive resident data (health, equality, vulnerability) under strict UK GDPR controls, ensuring only the right people see the right information at the right time.
Audit-ready records
Every placement, offer, refusal, visit and welfare call is logged โ so you can respond quickly to Ombudsman investigations, legal challenges or media inquiries.
From 'fire safety crisis' to structured, tenant-led relocation
Example programme snapshot
1 high-rise block, 25 households in the first wave
Intrusive cladding and fire-safety remediation over 18โ24 months
Mix of families, key workers, older residents and people with disabilities
What we deliver
Let's design a decant programme your tenants would sign off
Whether you're facing:
A single-block cladding remediation
A large-scale estate regeneration
Widespread damp & mould or disrepair issues
A sudden fire, flood or structural failure
โฆwe can help you move quickly without losing sight of the human beings at the centre of the story.
Book a confidential strategy call
Talk to our senior team about your current risks, timelines and political constraints.
Book Strategy CallRequest a digital portal demo
See how our digital portal and reporting can support your board, tenant panel and project team.
Request DemoAsk for a draft decant communications pack
We'll share sample letters, FAQs and resident charters you can adapt to your own policies.
Get Communications PackSector Accommodation Solutions
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about tenant-first decant services
Ready to put tenants first?
Let's design a decant programme your tenants would sign off