Keir Starmer Offers Private Landlords Big Cash Deals to House Channel Migrants But Here’s Their Response

The UK Home Office has started a campaign asking landlords to rent out their houses to asylum seekers. This comes after a rise in the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats.

Serco, one of three private companies working with the Home Office, is offering landlords a deal: guaranteed full rent for five years, paid by taxpayers. In their advertisements, Serco says they already house more than 30,000 asylum seekers across 7,000 properties — and they are looking to grow even more.

This move follows a record number of small boats arriving earlier this month. Officials are preparing for even more arrivals as warm weather approaches, with temperatures expected to reach 27°C next week.

Housing asylum seekers has become a controversial issue during local election campaigns. For example, a Labour candidate has promised to shut down a local hotel being used for migrants, saying it’s a top priority.

On Friday night, Labour faced criticism. Opponents accused them of taking homes away from British citizens and giving better housing deals to people who arrived illegally, instead of helping taxpayers who have lived and worked in the UK for years.

Serco has invited landlords, investors, and estate agents to a meeting at a four-star hotel in the Malvern Hills next month. They are looking for properties mainly in the North West, the Midlands, and the East of England, offering landlords benefits like guaranteed rent paid on time every month, free property management, free maintenance, and covering utility and council tax bills.

Putting migrants into private rented houses is cheaper than keeping them in hotels. Renting a house can cost around £14 per night, compared to around £145 per night for hotel stays.

Although using private homes started under the Conservative government more than ten years ago, Labour is now expanding the program. Labour wants to stop using expensive hotels for asylum seekers, as Sir Keir Starmer promised during the last election.

However, new Home Office numbers show there were still 38,000 asylum seekers living in hotels at the end of last year, costing taxpayers £5.5 million every day. This was an increase from 29,585 asylum seekers just before the election.

The number of people crossing the Channel in small boats continues to grow. So far this year, 9,638 people have arrived illegally — 44.5% more than at the same time last year. It’s the highest number since the small boat crossings began in 2018.

Today, contractors are responsible for housing 65,700 asylum seekers, which is double the number from 2014.

The government is focusing on renting houses that were once family homes, care homes, student flats, or shared houses (HMOs).

There are now about 16,000 private properties used for migrant housing, managed by three main contractors: Serco, Mears, and Clearsprings.

After Labour won last year’s election, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that the Conservatives had overspent £4.6 billion on migrant hotel costs, contributing to a £22 billion financial hole Labour inherited.

Karen Shore, the Labour candidate for Runcorn and Helsby, said shutting down the local asylum hotel is one of her top promises. She criticized the large amount of public money spent on hotels.

The government says it has reduced the number of hotels being used and sped up asylum application decisions. Over the last nine months, they have removed more than 24,000 migrants — the highest number in eight years.

A Home Office spokesperson said that working with private landlords has been normal for many years and that the government has a legal duty to provide support to asylum seekers who cannot pay for housing and bills. They said Labour is trying to fix a system that was already broken when they took office.

However, Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, attacked Labour’s approach. He said the government is offering better rental deals to house illegal immigrants than it does for hardworking British citizens. He also said that instead of giving flats to migrants, they should have been sent to Rwanda.

In response, a Labour source said these rental schemes have been happening since 1999 — covering years when Conservatives were also in charge. They blamed the current problems on the Conservatives’ failure to manage the asylum system properly.

Meanwhile, councils and charities have warned that the plan is making life harder for young workers, families, and homeless people. They say landlords are now charging higher rents, making it even more difficult for locals to find affordable housing.

There are about 1.3 million people on social housing waiting lists, with very few cheap rental homes available.

One council leader criticized Serco, saying they were encouraging landlords to drive up rent prices at taxpayers’ expense and hurting local communities.

A housing expert also said it’s unfair that people who have lived and worked in Britain — including immigrants — are being pushed aside to make room for new asylum seekers.

In another report, The Sun revealed that one hotel company made £700 million in a year by housing asylum seekers, all paid for by taxpayers.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the current system is broken and wastes money. He said asylum seekers are being placed in isolated areas with little support, making it hard for them to settle into British life. He called on the government to work with local councils instead of private companies to provide housing more fairly and efficiently.

Serco refused to comment, and the Home Office later announced that the Malvern Hills event for landlords had been cancelled after The Telegraph asked questions about it.