Accommodation costs

Overview

Discover the funding available to support MPs working from two locations.

What properties are eligible? What notice period should you negotiate on a lease?

Learn the rules about accommodation funding, how the principles apply and how to register and update your accommodation with IPSA.

Find out about additional support for MPs with parental or caring responsibilities.

Regulatory standards and guidance

IPSA provides accommodation funding for non-London area MPs to support them working from two permanent locations: Westminster and their constituency.

Outer-London area MPs may be eligible for funding under certain circumstances (see guidance below).

Funding is provided for rent and/or associated costs relating to one property, either in the London area or in the MP's constituency, unless IPSA agrees there are exceptional circumstances that justify funding accommodation in both.

The MP must be resident at the property for which they are seeking funding and may not sublet the property or any part of it.

If two or more MPs share rental accommodation, they must notify IPSA when they register the property. The rental agreement must include the name of each MP sharing the accommodation. Each MP will be entitled to the full accommodation costs budget and all costs should be shared equally between those MPs.

MPs must inform IPSA immediately when a rental agreement commences, ends or is renewed, or if there are changes to the contract such as the rental charge or the landlord’s payment details.

IPSA will fund:

  • Hotel accommodation

  • Rental payments and ‘associated costs’ on a rented property

  • For MPs who own their property, associated costs only

  • Accommodation for dependants – available for MPs with parental and/or caring responsibilities to help secure suitable accommodation

  • Legal and agency fees – e.g. agency fees when entering a contract, legal advice for contracts

  • Deposit loans – on application, IPSA may provide for a loan to cover holding deposits and deposits on residential rentals

Funding for associated costs

Where MPs rent a property or use a property they own as their parliamentary accommodation in either the constituency or Westminster, they may request funding for associated costs.

Associated costs may include:

  • Utility bills (gas, electricity, other fuel and water)

  • Council tax

  • Ground rent and service charges

  • Buildings insurance (if you own the property)

  • Installation of a landline telephone line, line rental and usage charges

  • Installation of a broadband connection and usage charges

  • Purchase, installation and maintenance of 'routine security measures (i.e. not those which are now funded by the House of Commons as recommended or further security measures)

Funding for home removal costs

IPSA will provide funding for home removal costs as a result of moving to new accommodation, which is funded centrally. Other costs associated with moving, including any legal costs, must be funded from the accommodation budget.

Accommodation costs are not payable to MPs who:

  • are London-area MPs, except for those representing Outer London constituencies who have opted to receive accommodation funding in place of the London Area Living Payment;

  • occupy 'grace and favour' accommodation in London by virtue of any particular office held;

  • rent from other MPs.

The following are not considered associated costs and IPSA will not pay any claims for them:

  • Regular cleaning, except where costs are incurred as a requirement at the end of a lease

  • Gardening

  • Purchase or maintenance of furniture

  • Home contents insurance, TV services or TV licence

Guidance updated on April 2026.

A non-London area MP submits a property registration form on IPSA Online to request funding from IPSA for a London property that they wish to rent as their parliamentary accommodation. The MP is not financially responsible for their own home and instead stays with family/friends without any financial obligation while in the constituency.

Considering the purpose of accommodation funding, this would not comply with the principle of integrity.

MPs are expected to maintain a private home to receive funding for parliamentary accommodation. Staying with family/friends while in the constituency means the MP would be financially benefitting from taxpayer funding if a London home was funded from the accommodation budget.

IPSA’s regulatory principles of integrity, value for money and accountability help MPs to better assess whether their arrangements meet IPSA’s standards.

MPs must have regard to these expectations before accessing funding from the accommodation budget:

  • MPs are expected to maintain (i.e. be financially responsible for) a private home to receive funding for parliamentary accommodation.

  • Accommodation funding is intended to be used for parliamentary accommodation only and not to cover costs of an existing private/family home.

  • MPs who own their own a property in London or their constituency are expected to use it as their private home rather than seeking IPSA funding for other accommodation in that location. An MP should be able to explain if this is not possible, for instance where the property is rented out to long-term tenants.

  • MPs must make accommodation decisions objectively and must not rent from landlords to whom they are politically, personally or financially connected. IPSA will not fund rent or associated costs for new tenancy agreements where the MP knows, or ought to know, that the landlord is an MP.

  • MPs in an ongoing tenancy with a landlord who is an MP and who is also in receipt of accommodation funding as of 1 April 2025 will have a transitional period of one year or to the end of the tenancy agreement (whichever is sooner), during which IPSA will continue to pay rent and associated costs in relation to the property.

MPs must ensure they have considered value for money when entering tenancy agreements. MPs must consider if the rent is affordable within their budget, and must check the terms and conditions of their contracts including any service charges, penalty clauses and other clauses that may otherwise lead to unexpected costs.

MPs should check their liability for council tax on the premises before signing the contract. MPs must also consider any potential costs when ending the tenancy, such as dilapidation charges and cleaning.

IPSA will only fund rent payments up to the end of the winding-up period should the MP cease to be a Member of Parliament – find out more.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

IPSA may provide MPs with a loan to cover any deposit payable at the start of a tenancy.

Applications must be submitted by the MP and in most cases be accompanied by a signed rental agreement to be considered.

IPSA may consider a deposit loan application that is accompanied by a draft rental agreement. Please contact your account manager for details.

MPs are responsible for:

  • securing the return of the deposit and for repaying the amount in full to IPSA, no later than one month after the tenancy ends; or

  • where the MP leaves Parliament, no later than one month after the end of the winding-up period (whichever is earlier).

Any shortfall between the deposit paid and the amount returned shall be the MP’s responsibility.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

There are 23 constituencies classed as being in the Outer London area. These MPs automatically receive the London Area Living Payment (LALP) and the additional LALP as supplements to their salary to recognise the additional costs of living in and travelling from outer London area constituencies.

As of 1 April 2026, in recognition of the challenges faced by the unique working patterns of MPs, MPs representing Outer London constituencies may request to receive an accommodation budget in lieu of the LALP and additional LALP payments.

Opting to receive an accommodation budget and IPSA's regulatory principles

Funding is provided to MPs on the basis that decisions must not be aimed at gaining a financial or other material benefits either for themselves or for connected parties.

When considering applying to receive an accommodation budget, they should consider how the decision represents value for money and accountability. The MP should be prepared to justify their use of accommodation funding instead of commuting, for instance with reference to specific concerns such as commuting times or family/ caring commitments.

MPs should also consider whether renting accommodation instead of staying at a hotel represents value for money, e.g. where the MP only intends to use the property once or twice a week. Outer-London MPs who are considering this option are advised to speak with their account manager in the first instance.

Example of opting to receive an accommodation budget in line with IPSA's regulatory principles

An Outer-London MP is considering requesting an accommodation budget.

They live on the outer edge of their constituency and it is difficult to get to the train station by public transport. The train station is not serviced by TfL and the train times reduce in the evening, while Parliament often sits to 8pm. They often arrive back at the train station at 10pm with a further 30-minute taxi ride to their constituency home. They are then expected to be back in the House for 9am the next morning.

While the MP does have two dependants, they attend school in the constituency and therefore decide they will use the budget for hotel stays on the nights where Parliament sits late and there is a quick turnaround.

The MP has shown they have considered accountability and can justify their need for the budget. They have also considered value for money by opting to use the budget for hotels on an ad hoc basis rather than to rent accommodation that would be rarely used.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

List of Outer London constituencies

  • Beaconsfield

  • Brentwood and Ongar

  • Broxbourne

  • Dartford

  • Dorking and Horley

  • East Surrey

  • Epping Forest

  • Epsom and Ewell

  • Esher and Walton

  • Harlow

  • Hertford and Stortford

  • Hertsmere

  • Reigate

  • Runnymede and Weybridge

  • Sevenoaks

  • Slough

  • South West Hertfordshire

  • Spelthorne

  • St Albans

  • Thurrock

  • Watford

  • Welwyn Hatfield

  • Windsor

MPs should negotiate a clause in their rental agreement to allow them to give two months’ notice in the event of a change in circumstances, e.g. leaving Parliament or any other situation where they must vacate the property.

IPSA will only fund rent and associated costs during a certain period after leaving Parliament known as the winding-up period. Any further costs beyond that period will not be funded by IPSA.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

As of 1 April 2023, funding for MPs’ security measures has transferred to the House of Commons. Security assistance funding is no longer available from IPSA.

Routine security and safety costs may continue to be claimed from the accommodation and office costs budget. For more information about security measures, visit the Members' Security Support Service.

While not an exhaustive list, IPSA considers the following as routine security measures:

  • Replacement keys

  • Small locks

Guidance updated on April 2026.

The accommodation budget is designed to meet costs incurred by MPs as a result of working from two permanent locations.

While some MPs may prefer to rent accommodation within either London or the constituency, others may prefer the flexibility to use the funding for hotel stays instead.

Any non-London MPs will automatically receive accommodation funding that can be used for hotels. Outer London MPs may opt in to receive accommodation funding instead of receiving LALP.

MPs may also receive funding for the cost of hotel accommodation for their dependants. The nightly cost limit for funding applies to hotel accommodation for all dependants (rather than for each dependant).

Nightly limits

Hotel costs funded from the accommodation costs budget are subject to a nightly cost limit. These limits are inclusive of VAT.

If the hotel’s nightly rate includes breakfast, the full amount will be reimbursed provided the total cost is within the nightly cost limit.

MPs can receive funding for hotel costs up to £230 per night in London and £165 per night elsewhere in the UK (including VAT).

MPs may group together several nights during a single stay where the cost varies on different nights and seek funding for the full amount if the average per night does not exceed the nightly limit.

If MPs cannot find a hotel within the cost limit, please speak with your account manager about further support we may offer.

MPs must provide evidence showing they made a reasonable effort to find a hotel within the limit beyond the Travel Office and the usual accommodation provider by submitting screenshots.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

If IPSA is funding rental accommodation, is this for your parliamentary accommodation and not your private residence?

Are you requesting funding for accommodation costs despite not maintaining a private home? As a reminder, IPSA will only fund the cost of a work accommodation, i.e. the parliamentary home.

If you own your own property in London or the constituency but still wish to apply for separate accommodation funding from IPSA for a property in the same area, are you prepared to justify why? For instance, do you have long-term tenants?

Have you considered whether there are any actual or perceived conflicts of interest with the landlord of the property of you intend to rent?

Have you considered value for money when sourcing a rental property?

Using IPSA Online

  1. Note!

    To make a reimbursement claim, open IPSA Online.

    Before you begin you will need :

    • details of the costs you are claiming

    • your receipts

    Remember to use Add information if you need to add further comments to your claim. This can be found towards the bottom of the screen.

  2. Step1

    From the main menu select Your employment.

  3. Step2

    Select Expenses.

  4. Step3

    Select Reimbursement claim (MP).

    If you work in a MP’s office, you can claim your own expenses by selecting Reimbursement claim (Staff).

    All subsequent steps are the same.

  5. Step4

    In the On behalf of resource box, select who the claim should be paid to – this box only appears if you are the MP or Proxy.

  6. Step5

    In the Reference box, type a short description applicable to all lines on the claim form.

    The description should be something you can use to easily identify the claim at a later date (for example, when looking to access a draft claim).

    As such, try to avoid references that could be applied to more than one claim (for example, "Payment card reconciliation") and instead make each reference unique (for example, "Payment card reconciliation – October 2022").

  7. Step6

    Select an Expense category. You can start typing the expense and a list of possible expense categories is displayed.

    Alternatively, select the drop-down arrow to see the full list and then select the relevant category.

  8. Step7

    Select Add expense at the bottom of the screen.

  9. Step8

    Use the Calendar icon to select the date the expense was incurred.

  10. Step9

    Add a Description for the expense.

    Content included in this field will be published in line with our Publication Policy.

    If any comments are intended solely for IPSA, please use the Add information field described in Step 14.

  11. Step10

    Add the Amount of the expense that you are claiming for.

  12. Step11

    Select the Chevron icon at the end of the expense line.

    The chevrons open additional fields that are required for that particular expense.

  13. Step12

    Use the Spacebar on your keyboard to see a list of all the relevant budgets, addresses, stations, airports etc. Alternatively, you can start typing the specific value you want to select

    Depending on the type of expense being reimbursed, you may see a different set of options for completion.

    The example displayed in the accompanying screenshot is a claim for reimbursement for air travel.

  14. Step13

    Repeat steps six to 12 until all expenses have been added.

    An expense claim should not be more than 20 lines long.

  15. Step14

    On all mileage claims, you will need to include details of each stop (including postcode) on your journey.

    Select Add information towards the bottom of the screen.

    Type your comments in the pop-up box.

    Please make sure to reference which line on the claim each comment refers to.

    Please do not include these details in the description field of the claim line.

  16. Step15

    You must now add receipts to each claim line and then submit the claim.

    To do this, visit the right-hand menu, under the heading Expense overviewand select Receipts.

Contact IPSA

To get additional support, contact us.