Asylum seekers refusing to leave hotels risk homelessness

In the past week, there have been demonstrations outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, where asylum seekers have been housed

Single adult male asylum seekers who refuse to move out of hotels into "suitable alternative accommodation" will risk becoming homeless, the Home Office has said.

The government - which is legally obligated to house destitute asylum seekers - says its new "Failure to Travel" guidance would establish "clear consequences for those who game the system".

According to Home Office sources, hundreds of migrants are refusing to be transferred from hotels to other forms of accommodation every week.

It comes as the government is coming under pressure to reduce the number of hotels being used for asylum accommodation.

The past week has seen a series of demonstrations in Epping close to a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Ministers have said the government wants to end the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers by 2029 and has been trying to move people into cheaper types of accommodation.

The numbers in hotels had been increasing since 2020, and reached a peak of more than 50,000 in 2023. In March 2025, the asylum hotel population stood at 32,345.

New guidance issued on Friday to Home Office caseworkers and asylum accommodation providers stated that some asylum seekers' "failure to travel to appropriate accommodation" was undermining "the overall efficiency of the asylum support system".

Under the rules, individuals being moved from hotels would be given at least five days' notice in writing.

People who persistently fail to move would be evicted from their accommodation and could see their financial support withdrawn.

In general, asylum seekers are not allowed to work while they are waiting for the government to process their application to stay in the UK.

To help with costs for food, clothing and toiletries, they are usually given around £49.18 per week per person.

The previous Conservative government took a similar approach when it threatened to take away support from those who refused to board the Bibby Stockholm, a barge that had been used for accommodation.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said the guidance was "another example of this government's action to transform the asylum accommodation system and crack down on those who abuse our system, so it operates fairly and saves the taxpayer money".

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said it was "right that the government is taking steps to end the use of asylum hotels".

But she added: "To more effectively tackle the scale of the problem, the government should be focused on stopping dangerous Channel crossings through improved cross-border cooperation and reducing the need to pay for asylum accommodation altogether by scrapping the ban on asylum seekers working."