Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to review the compliance regulations and local authority property standards of privately-run asylum housing properties.

The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation, transportation and cash/subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered. UKVI discharges their statutory duty via a suite of COMPASS contracts with three providers; G4S, Serco and Clearsprings Ready Homes. UKVI do not accommodate service users in privately run asylum housing properties

Accommodation providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation that complies with the Decent Homes Standard in addition to standards outlined in relevant national or local housing legislation

The contract requires Providers to inspect each property every month and UKVI inspects a significant proportion of properties each year to ensure standards are being met. Where asylum accommodation is found to be falling short of the required standards UKVI has procedures in place to hold suppliers to account to quickly resolve the issue.