More than 700 people have died while living in temporary accommodation in London over the past three years, according to new freedom of information data that has sparked fresh concerns over the UK housing crisis.
The figures revealed that 741 people died in council-provided temporary housing while waiting for permanent homes, prompting campaigners to describe the situation as a national scandal.
The data, collected by researcher Jack Shaw and published by Inside Housing, did not specify how the deaths occurred or whether housing conditions directly contributed to them.
However, previous investigations found that temporary accommodation was linked to the unexpected deaths of 74 children between 2019 and 2024, with campaigners arguing many of the deaths could have been prevented.
The Shared Health Foundation (SHF), part of the all-party parliamentary group for households in temporary accommodation, described the findings as deeply alarming.
An SHF spokesperson said: “This new data should shock us all. Over 700 deaths in temporary accommodation over three years in our capital, many of them children, is a damning reflection on our society.”
“One death is too many, 700 is an absolute scandal. The government should prioritise improving the standards and support offered for all those living in temporary accommodation.”
The spokesperson added: “It should be on the front pages every day, in every cabinet meeting and plastered all over Whitehall until the death toll reaches zero, because unless we have a true cross-department, cross-party consensus on this, we will see the numbers continue to rise.”
Researchers warned that the real number of deaths could be even higher because some councils were unable to provide complete records.
Ealing Council reportedly said it did not hold the relevant data, while other local authorities stated their information was “not in a reportable format”.
The findings come amid growing concern over the impact of temporary housing on vulnerable families and children.
Last month, a separate study found links between pregnant women living in temporary accommodation and stillbirths.
The same report stated that temporary housing had been listed as a contributing factor in the deaths of 104 children over a six-year period.
Calls for tighter regulation have also intensified, with MPs recently urging the government to introduce stricter inspections and legal standards for temporary accommodation before families are placed in the properties.
A spokesperson for London Councils said local authorities were “working hard to support homeless residents” and had “consistently called for further policy action at a national level to boost the availability of affordable housing and to help residents into permanent housing as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Any death as a result of the housing and homelessness crisis is a tragedy.”