Joint briefing: HMO licensing and asylum seeker accommodation regulations

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), Crisis, the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), Refugee Migrant Forum of Essex & London (RAMFEL) and Shelter call for the withdrawal of the Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-seeker Accommodation) Regulations 2023. We strongly urge MPs to oppose the passage of the regulations.

This statutory instrument exempts asylum seeker accommodation from important HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupation) licensing requirements. These requirements are in place to make sure that larger HMOs (properties where five or more unrelated adults share accommodation) meet certain basic safety standards to prevent fires and other dangerous hazards.

HMO licensing also ensure that local authorities can identify and proactively enforce against bad practice in larger properties. The government’s plan to exempt asylum seeker accommodation from these vital safety requirements will put people seeking asylum at a higher risk of fires and poorer living conditions. It also creates a risk of more evictions from HMOs and supported exempt housing if landlords seek to switch existing rental properties to Home Office contracts, putting more pressure on council homelessness services.