UK asylum housing data shows hotel use remains limited

BBC Verify explains how asylum housing is allocated across hotels, dispersal sites, and other accommodation amid legal and funding questions.

UK asylum housing shows a patchwork system and budget pressures

As of March 2025, the UK housed about 106 000 asylum seekers. Only about a third were housed in hotels. The rest lived in dispersal accommodation, which is self catered housing meant to be spread evenly across the country, or in other large sites such as former military bases. About 3 000 people did not live in any form of asylum accommodation and instead received weekly financial support. The government typically places people in hotels first and then moves them to dispersal accommodation as it becomes available.

The High Court granted a district council a temporary injunction to block the Home Office from using the Bell Hotel in Epping Essex for asylum housing, illustrating how legal constraints shape policy. The wider system uses a mix of sites to house a relatively small number of people in places determined by availability and cost, with dispersal housing designed to reduce regional pressure even as it moves on a sliding timetable.

The numbers reveal a slow moving, patchwork approach rather than a single national plan. That patchwork is sensitive to local debate, court rulings and budget constraints. In practice this can delay longer term solutions and erode public confidence in how asylum seekers are housed. A clearer, funded strategy could reduce waste and confusion while improving transparency for communities and for those seeking shelter.

Looking ahead, policy makers face a choice between keeping the current mix and pursuing a more stable, centrally funded pathway. Critics argue the system is reactive and uneven, while supporters say dispersal housing helps distribute responsibility. The coming months will test whether the state can balance compassion with fiscal reality and local expectations.

Highlights

Policy choices will shape access to shelter and the cost of care in the months ahead.