England and Wales · Homelessness procedures
How does the six-week family B&B exception count separate stays?
B&B is generally unsuitable for an applicant with family commitments under article3. Article4 permits a narrow exception only where no other accommodation is available and countable occupation, including separate periods, does not exceed six weeks.
- Period
- No more than six weeks in total under the narrow no-other-accommodation exception
- Trigger
- Countable periods of actual B&B occupation, with statutory disregards checked
- Rule
- Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4
Current England Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4 and supporting official sources retained October 8, 2026.
Source guide · No automated date
Check the applicable procedure
The single first-occupation input cannot count cumulative stays or statutory disregards and its next-open-day setting is unsupported for this maximum. No universal B&B expiry is calculated.
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How does the six-week family B&B exception count separate stays?
B&B is generally unsuitable for an applicant with family commitments under article3. Article4 permits a narrow exception only where no other accommodation is available and countable occupation, including separate periods, does not exceed six weeks.
Responsible actor. The authority securing B&B for an applicant with family commitments.
Establish article2 family and B&B definitions.
Article3 supplies the ordinary unsuitability rule. Article4 is a restricted exception, not a general entitlement to place every family in B&B for six weeks.
Article2 defines family commitments and B&B, including shared facilities and specified ownership or management exclusions. An accommodation marketing label alone does not establish this Order applies.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4How does this provision count time?
- Establish article2 family and B&B definitions.
- Total all countable occupation, applying article4(2) disregards.
- Check no other accommodation and the six-week maximum together.
Add all countable occupation periods. Do not reset six weeks for a new stay or replace actual occupation with forty-two days after the latest move-in. Apply article4(2) disregards separately.
The six-week maximum is an accommodation suitability condition. Court-office closure does not add a weekend extension to the maximum total occupation.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4Which facts prevent one automatic date?
The single first-occupation input cannot count cumulative stays or statutory disregards and its next-open-day setting is unsupported for this maximum. No universal B&B expiry is calculated.
The actual no more than six weeks in total under the narrow no-other-accommodation exception procedure and operative records are available. Article2 defines family commitments and B&B, including shared facilities and specified ownership or management exclusions. An accommodation marketing label alone does not establish this Order applies. Check family status, the Order B&B definition, other accommodation availability and the complete countable occupation history. Retain evidence of any statutory disregard.
A proposed date in this england family bed and breakfast six-week limit procedure falls on a weekend or bank holiday. The six-week maximum is an accommodation suitability condition. Court-office closure does not add a weekend extension to the maximum total occupation. Establish the actual statutory condition and completion method. The single catalog date does not prove a lawful extension or expiry.
The family has already accumulated six countable weeks across two B&B placements, then begins a new placement. Article4 totals periods instead of restarting on the newest move-in. A new first-day input cannot grant another six-week exception. Reassess suitability and the actual countable history.
Which conditions and exceptions apply?
- Applicable statutory procedure
- Article2 defines family commitments and B&B, including shared facilities and specified ownership or management exclusions. An accommodation marketing label alone does not establish this Order applies.
- Material branch
- Article4 totals periods instead of restarting on the newest move-in. A new first-day input cannot grant another six-week exception. Reassess suitability and the actual countable history.
- Required completion
- Check family status, the Order B&B definition, other accommodation availability and the complete countable occupation history. Retain evidence of any statutory disregard.
- Article2 defines family commitments and B&B, including shared facilities and specified ownership or management exclusions. An accommodation marketing label alone does not establish this Order applies.
- Article3 supplies the ordinary unsuitability rule. Article4 is a restricted exception, not a general entitlement to place every family in B&B for six weeks.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
How does the six-week family B&B exception count separate stays?
Is any hotel accommodation necessarily B&B under this Order?
Article2 requires premises that are not separate and self-contained and specified shared facilities, subject to its ownership or management exclusions.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4Who has family commitments for this B&B rule?
Article2 includes a pregnant applicant, a resident or reasonably expected pregnant woman, and resident or reasonably expected dependent children.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4Does a second B&B stay restart six weeks?
No. Article4(1)(b) expressly includes a period or total of periods of occupation.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4Is no other accommodation availability a separate condition?
Yes. Article4(1)(a) requires that no accommodation other than B&B is available for the applicant occupation.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4What occupation must article4(2) disregard?
It excludes periods before April 1, 2004 and, in its specified section 200(4) case, periods before the authority became subject to the section 193 duty.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4Can the six-week total be extended automatically through a bank holiday?
Article4 contains a maximum suitability exception, not a court-office filing deadline. The generic next-open-day roll does not establish permission for extra occupation.
Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4Official sources and review
Provisions used (3)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Homelessness Suitability (England) Order 2003, articles 2–4 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Housing Act 1996, section 202 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Housing Act 1996, section 193 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |