Dear Mr Shaw,

Thank you for your request dated 6 February 2025, asking for information that we hold as follows; please see our responses below in blue:

  1. Do you currently provide WiFi to people in temporary accommodation in (a) council-owned sites (b) within the private rented sector or (c) B&Bs or hotels and (d) is this free of charge and (e) can you signpost me to your policy? I am assuming that households use free Wi-Fi in hotels, in private rented sector accommodation households are expected to procure their own internet broadband, but please do clarify if I am labouring under the wrong assumptions.

 

Barnet do not provide Wi-Fi in temporary accommodation; clients are expected to procure their own internet

 

  1. 2. Do you (a) charge households in shared temporary accommodation for using washing facilities and (b) can you signpost me to your policy?

 

Providing washing machine in TA is not compulsory , however if there is a washing machine in a shared accommodation TA, clients do not pay to use

 

  1. Local authorities are statutorily required to place in storage the items of homeless households. Could you please (a) signpost me to your storage policy and (b) clarify whether or not you charge for storage at any point.

 

We do not have a storage policy

Barnet Homes provide storage of applicant’s belongings where there is a duty under specified provisions of Part 7 Housing Act 1996, and it is believed that

  • there is a danger of loss of, or damage to, the applicant’s personal property
  • because the applicant is unable to protect it or deal with it.
  • no other suitable arrangements have been, or are being, made.

 

Yes, reasonable monthly charges are applied for items in storage.

 

  1. Can you please list the locations of your storage, by local authority.

 

Storage provision is carried out by a separate company on behalf of Barnet Homes . The storage is in Enfield.

 

  1. If you place families in hotels which therefore do not have facilitates to cook meals – and therefore will have to pay for meals more frequently, do you have a policy of providing any additional support?

 

Breakfast can be added to a hotel booking if requested

Your Rights

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request a review by emailing Talk2Us@barnethomes.org and marking it as an appeal for the attention of the Data Controller. There is no charge for making an appeal.

After this, if you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner:

Kind regards,

Carly Williamson

Complaints and Information Manager