The government is looking at a “range of appropriate accommodation” in which to house asylum seekers in England, the Home Office minister Dan Jarvis told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday.
He refused to specify what kind of accommodation was under consideration, although he acknowledged that “nobody really thinks that hotels are a suitable location” after this week’s high court ruling. But the options are limited.
What is the issue?
The Home Office is responsible for ensuring compliance with the UK’s legal commitments regarding asylum seekers. That includes supporting destitute people seeking asylum while it makes a decision on their claim, by providing financial support and accommodation.
Asylum seekers are initially housed in “contingency” accommodation, such as hotels, hostels or special secure facilities. Later they may be moved to “dispersal” accommodation, including shared houses or self-contained flats or houses.
The number of people seeking asylum who were accommodated by the government has increased from about 47,000 in December 2019 to about 110,000 in December 2024.
Hotels
About 200 hotels were housing more than 30,000 asylum seekers in England and Wales at the end of March 2025.
Since 2020, there has been greater reliance on hotels to house asylum seekers, but Labour has promised to end the use of hotels by 2029 by cutting small boat crossings and building new government-owned accommodation.
According to the Migration Observatory, in 2024-25 the average daily cost of housing an asylum seeker in a hotel was estimated at £170 per person, compared with £27 for other types of accommodation – more than six times more expensive.
In recent months there have been protests outside some asylum hotels, with some people claiming they pose a threat to the safety of the neighbourhood. The protests have often been orchestrated by the far right.
This week the high court granted an interim injunction to Epping Forest district council to stop asylum seekers from being placed at the Bell hotel, after protests nearby.
The government is braced for dozens of legal challenges from other council leaders after the ruling. Home Office lawyers told the court that the decision could “substantially impact” the government’s ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK.
Flats and houses
A possible alternative is for the government to house asylum seekers in flats or houses rented from private landlords or social housing providers.
In December 2023, about 56,500 people were in dispersal accommodation, meaning flats or houses occupied by single families or multiple single people, according to the National Audit Office.
However, if the government opted to increase the proportion of asylum seekers in flats and houses, it would increase pressure on the rental sector at a time when finding accommodation is extremely competitive and rents have gone up significantly.
It may also increase the vulnerability of asylum seekers to protesters.
Plans to accommodate 35 families in flats above shops in Waterlooville, Hampshire, were dropped earlier this month after more than 1,000 people protested in the town.
Last October, a Home Office lease on flats at Pinehurst Hill Side in Farnborough, Hampshire, was not renewed after protests. Alex Baker, the local MP, said “many residents were aspiring to live in” the newly built town-centre accommodation.
Large sites or camps
In 2022, the Conservative government said it would use “large sites”, such as former military facilities, barges, ferries, and cruise ships, to reduce reliance on hotels for asylum accommodation.
The Home Office planned to house 1,875 people in large sites by January 2024, but only 900 were accommodated by that date. “On 31 December 2024, this number had dropped to 500 following the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge,” said the Migration Observatory.
The Bibby Stockholm, a converted barge moored in Portland, Dorset, was decommissioned by the Labour government in November 2024 amid safety concerns, protests and condemnation from campaign groups. The barge, which provided accommodation for about 400 single male asylum seekers a night at maximum occupancy, had cost the taxpayer at least £34.8m, according to the National Audit Office.
Labour said it would end the use of all large secure sites to accommodate asylum seekers but may now be forced to reconsider.
For example, Wethersfield, a former Ministry of Defence site in Braintree, Essex, may increase its capacity to house single adult male asylum seekers between the ages of 18 and 65. According to Graham Butland, the Conservative leader of Braintree district council, the current number of about 800 men could increase to 1,220.
A report from the National Audit Office in 2024 found that the costs of large sites were significantly higher than expected. This was largely because of the Home Office overestimating occupancy rates and underestimating the expenses associated with the setup and refurbishment of these sites.
What do other counties do?
In Germany, many asylum seekers are housed in initial reception centres – large facilities with dormitory-style accommodation. People can stay in these centres for 18 months or longer before being transferred to collective accommodation centres or decentralised housing. The type of housing varies by region and may include former army barracks, housing containers, or self-contained flats.
In France, reception centres (Centre d’Accueil pour Demandeurs d’Asile – CADA) serve as the main form of accommodation for asylum seekers. These can be either collective or private accommodation within the same building or separate flats, usually managed by NGOs.
Likewise in Spain, reception centres (Centro de Acogida a Refugiados – CAR) are the primary accommodation facilities. In France and Spain, there is a shortage of accommodation, leaving many asylum seekers in informal camps or settlements.
In Sweden, asylum seekers are primarily housed in shared flats through a dispersal accommodation system, although municipalities face difficulties in securing suitable housing.
