Asylum seekers have been housed in places such as military barracks, but tens of thousands are in hotels (Picture: EPA)
The government plans to temporarily remove housing regulations for landlords who are providing accommodation for asylum seekers, in an effort to stem the use of hotels.
Landlords would be able to bypass getting their property recognised as house of multiple occupation (HMO) for two years under the proposals.
The Guardian reported this would mean exemptions from regulations governing electrical items and minimum room sizes, with critics warning it would put the safety of asylum seekers at risk.
Housing minister Felicity Buchan told a Commons committee the plans would ‘speed up’ the process of moving out the almost 50,000 people who are currently being housed in hotels.
That figure is on top of approximately 57,000 who are living in long-standing asylum accommodation.
Shadow minister for housing and planning Matthew Pennycook condemned the plans, saying they would mean ‘no minimum standards whatsoever’ apply to asylum housing.
He added: ‘Of course it will be cheaper to house asylum seekers in accommodation without gas safety certificates, without safe electrical appliances and furniture, without working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and without shared amenity facilities that meet minimum standards.’
Mary Atkinson, campaigns and network manager at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, told the Guardian: ‘Without HMO licences, already traumatised people will be at risk of living in places that are unfit for human habitation.’
Hotels housing asylum seekers have attracted protests from people on both sides of the immigration debate (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
The government has been exploring a number of different options for housing asylum seekers, including military bases and a three-storey barracks barge, as it tries to reduce the pressure on the immigration system.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s hard-line approach to bringing down the numbers arriving in the UK has been centred around the controversial Illegal Migration Bill, which is currently being examined in the House of Lords.
The plans to temporarily remove the need for HMO recognition could be approved as soon as today, as attention focuses on another housing-related bill: government rental reforms that would abolish ‘no-fault’ evictions and strengthen landlords’ abilities to remove renters for anti-social behaviour.
A Government spokesman said: ‘The use of expensive hotels to house the unprecedented number of asylum seekers crossing the Channel is unacceptable and must end.
‘By temporarily removing this licensing requirement, we will be able to acquire more suitable long-term accommodation while continuing to meet our legal duty of care.
‘This will not compromise standards and all properties will be independently inspected for quality to ensure they continue to meet national housing quality requirements.’
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The measure could mean exemption from regulations governing electrical safety and minimum room sizes.
