Profile incomplete
8:01 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago 17
Text Size
A councillor has accused private landlords of kicking out tenants to make room for asylum seekers because the landlord can earn more in rent from the Home Office.
The accusation was made by Julie Young at a meeting of Colchester Borough Council’s scrutiny panel meeting after revelations that the city could soon be home to 500 refugees.
Coun Young, who is responsible for housing, reportedly told councillors: “Colchester does have more refugees than any other town, by a country mile.
“While we are a welcoming town, it does leave us with a situation where we have a huge task on our hands to support those individuals.”
She then added: “Private landlords know they can get more money by making properties available to the Home Office.
“What we’re seeing is an increase in the amount of evictions that are going on in the town, to free up those properties so they can get additional revenue.”
The meeting heard that accommodation in Colchester will come under increasing pressure because they will have to accommodate refugees under the Home Office’s terms of resettlement.
Now, the council says it is concerned about the number of asylum seekers who have been arriving in designated hotels recently.
They say that sending asylum seekers to Colchester is putting already stretched council services under more pressure and this also impacts support organisations and local health services.
Council leader, Coun David King, said: “Colchester is proud to be a place of sanctuary. We have a long history of welcoming refugees and asylum seekers to our city-to-be.
“But I am angry at the Home Office’s failings and that we face new arrivals when others do not, when many of our partner authorities across the UK are not called upon to do their bit.”
He added: “We understand the pressures of the asylum system and that they use hotels as a short-term solution; but we get no advance warning from the Home Office when asylum seekers are placed in hotel accommodation, and we should, and need to, get adequate time for planning to make sure the much-needed wrap-around support is in place for these families.”
The arrival of asylum seekers has also caused concern in Worcester where one councillor has highlighted that 20 homes, which will probably be houses in multiple occupancy, will be needed to house them.
Coun Alan Amos says that by reducing housing supply for local people, the move will ‘force up rent’ in a cost-of-living crisis.
One of the town’s hotels has already been changed into asylum seeker accommodation and is home to 115 people.
Now, Serco is looking to house more asylum seekers and contacting private landlords to sign them up.
Councillor Amos told the Worcester Observer that while allocating 20 to 30 properties will have a minimal effect on a rented stock of several thousand properties, it does mean that people in need of accommodation will have fewer properties to choose from.
He added that there are more than 3,000 people on the town’s housing waiting list and criticised the priority given to housing ‘illegal immigrants’ and worried that approval has been recommended by the council for the housing scheme despite not knowing how much it will cost local taxpayers.
Previous Article
Property expert predicts further house price fallsNext Article
3.1 students are chasing EVERY student bed
Monty Bodkin
10:43 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
“What we’re seeing is an increase in the amount of evictions that are going on in the town, to free up those properties so they can get additional revenue.”
I find that very hard to believe.
Reluctant Landlord
10:56 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
No chance!
'priority given to housing ‘illegal immigrants’'. He's having a laugh!
Priority (even if you could given it - you cant as it's discrimination remember!) would be given to anyone on the housing list if the council themselves acted as a guarantor instead to FINANCIAL risk to LL's taking on tenants.
Taking on an 'illegal immigrant' instead is not even an option - by default they have no paperwork so a LL cant rent to them anyway. The only was a LL can do this is via Serco so he is clearly he is taking out of this ear.
Another load of anti LL tosh!
Reluctant Landlord
11:12 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
If the council is that worried then perhaps they should lower the risk to LL's of taking on people from the existing housing list in the first place?
Or paying off their rent arrears.
I bet the majority S21's have been issued due to rent arrears/ASBO/property damage in reality.
No LL is going to jump on the Serco fun bus if they see they contracts they are offering!
Justin Barrington
11:34 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by DSR at 09/11/2022 - 11:12
Is this a hidden advert from Serco?
Luke P
11:39 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
Firstly it's called free-market capitalism. Whilst personally, I think the general principle of the boat persons is disgraceful, once here, they are just as 'entitled' (often more so) than any other resident. We absolutely should make a distinction, but it seems there isn't.
Secondly, I had very much intended to offer Serco a starting gambit of 80 properties for their 5 (possibly even 7) year scheme. But the contract is so onerous, I can't see m/any LLs going for it. This councillor is making assumptions. Finally, the councils don't (can't?) prioritise 'local/native' kids for school places.
Recently I watched a YouTube podcast that discussed exactly that...if you're a lifelong/long-term UK resident, your kid cannot get a place at particular schools, but any boat people can indeed have one. If you expect LLs to have principles, you bloody well better exercise them yourself!
Darren Peters
11:44 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
How ingrained 'kicking the landlord' has become in government, quango and 'charity' groupthink that we have become the boogieman for all of their problems. Little govt are bleating 'kick the landlord' because of a big government policy.
Certainly not because they've shafted any landlord naive enough to hand over their properties to the council in the past. Not because of their predatory licencing. How dare the landlord be efficient with resources say the councillors whose job security and pensions are never related to their own ability to budget other people's money.
Bit ranty? 🙂
FWIW I personally know of a landlord in my area of Essex who was doing HMOs and handed his final property to Serco or a similar company because it was, 'much easier'. I don't know numbers but I can believe this is happening in other areas.
I also know, as I am very tangentially involved with a clothing charity, that 800 more refugees are due in my part of the world shortly & that the plan is to re-activate a couple of closed down care homes and use hotels because they don't have anything else.
Ian Narbeth
11:50 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
It may be true that the Home Office is offering above market rents. But where is the evidence that landlords are evicting tenants to take advantage? Cllr Young (Labour) said Marks Tey Hotel had welcomed an intake of 70 refugees, with around 220 more on the way.
OK, so what? Marks Tey Hotel is not a private house owned by a private landlord. Assuming tenants are being evicted using the section 21 (so-called no fault) process it takes months for private landlords to evict a tenant who does not want to leave. In addition, if the landlord's paperwork and application is not in good order the s21 application will be thrown out. Landlords can't exactly sign up with Serco and guarantee vacant accommodation by a specific date and if they have a rent-paying tenant which landlord will take a punt on Serco's offer being available in 6 to 12 months time when he gets possession?
Ms Young does not refer to specific cases (I assume the reporter would have cited examples if she had). I suspect a few disgruntled tenants have complained to her about being evicted and have blamed it on asylum seekers so she has used that to attack private landlords. The reporter might care to investigate further and find out the full story.
KarenS
11:59 AM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
It infuriates me hearing sentences such as "A councillor has accused private landlords of kicking out tenants to make room for asylum seekers because the landlord can earn more in rent from the Home Office."
I hate the term "Landlord" anyhow...PropCo or Service Provider are far more relevant in today's society.....but not only that they speak in the single person as opposed to a proper business and conveniently forget said business has related operating costs like any other business.
Also let's not forget that businesses generally exist to make a profit and after all, isn't that a key duty of the directors....ensuring the company performs optimally.
Luke P
12:06 PM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
"A tourist has accused Colchester Borough Council and councillors of block-booking hotels to prevent those vacationing from their usual holiday accommodation because it is more cost-effective for the council in meeting their illegal immigrant obligation."
See how this works, Cllr Julie Young, you absolute clown shoe!
Rerktyne
12:27 PM, 9th November 2022, About A year ago
Yet another idiot in office who jumps onto the anti LL bandwagon. No LL would kick out a good tenant: the move to asylum seekers is about security for the LL now that the govt has turned him into a whipping boy: whipped by parasitic tenants and then by their benefactors in government!
Landlords are leaving PRS in droves now. Ask why!