Local authorities are being forced to pay private landlords up to £4,000 to take in homeless families, due to the shortage of social housing.
Councils are advertising the cash incentives, with Westminster offering £4,000 per family and Tower Hamlets agreeing a £2,500 payment for a one-bed property with a two-year rental agreement, and £4,000 for larger homes. Other London boroughs are offering similar bonuses.
The findings come as the Conservative Party announces its plans to extend the right to buy, which would take a further 1.3m homes out of council ownership.
Guardian, 4, 42
Times, 21
