Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer is calling on landlords to step up and open their accommodation to Afghan refugees.
He says current solutions to the refugees’ accommodation crisis - mostly involving temporary hotel accommodation - costs the taxpayer some £1m per day. Instead he says local government will be funded to pay private landlords who help the government out of the problem.
Now Mercer - who undertook multiple tours of Afghanistan and is now coordinating the resettlement support for Afghans who arrived under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme - says landlords should join in a ‘national effort’ to rehouse the refugees.
He says: “We owe a debt of gratitude to Afghans who have moved to the UK under our resettlement schemes. But hotel accommodation must end - it’s unfair on the Afghans living in them, unable to put down more permanent roots, and it is unfair on the taxpayer, who is currently footing the bill.
“To do this we’ve put in place extensive support, which local authorities can use in a variety of ways to support Afghans into permanent accommodation including funding for deposits, rent top ups and furniture, as well as bespoke advice from staff in hotels.”
The UK welcomed over 21,000 Afghan nationals through its resettlement scheme following the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Since then thousands of Afghan nationals have been living in hotel accommodation across the country.
Mercer continues: “The hotel accommodation was never intended as a permanent solution and as well as the unsustainable cost to the taxpayer, they do not allow Afghan nationals to properly settle into communities. To support the move into settled housing the government has committed £285 million in new funding, and case working teams have been deployed to every bridging hotel in the country to give advice and guidance to those looking for housing.”
The funding package includes additional funding for local authorities, equivalent to £7,100 per person. This funding is given to local authorities as a flexible sum, giving them the power to decide where money is needed and spent, based on their expert knowledge on the ground.”
He also emphasised the need for those currently living in bridging accommodation to take responsibility for their search to find housing, as is the case for people across the country. He claims the government is providing “extensive support" to do this, including a dedicated housing portal and tailored information on how to find accommodation and financial support.
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Lead by example
You first
If I let them in, when I give notice will the authorities allow me to get my property back? 🤔……. I’ll pass thanks…
You have made the key point Nick.
As previously posted Nick, the rent top ups evaporate along with any support after 24 months.
Poor people are then directed to Acorn Generation Shelter for them to fight the good fight on behalf of the offended.
Not a chance would I entertain this, the government brought this on themselves for excluding landlords on everything PRS.
Johnny Mercer, the government has demonized landlords and taxed us to hell and continue to create more legislation to make us quit being landlords and has done nothing to help landlords and you now want our help....
Good luck with that
It's your problem, not mine.
Johnny looking for a bigger job in office...
I agree we owe the Afghans our support but the Govt singles LLs out for special treatment & then wants us to take a financial hit to house them! Perhaps if they made the financial terms a bit more attractive - still a lot cheaper than hotels - LLs would be more interested in helping!
help the government out of the problem.
Why would we help you with your problems when all you do is create them for us?
Really! More front than Marks and Spencer’s.
So they want us to help them out with the Afghanistan people whilst at the same time finding new ways to stab us in the back. No thankyou
Bye Bye BTL
This has to be the joke of the day 😂, what a clown 🤡. I guess he has no idea what’s happened in the rental market ?
Nearly right Simon. It’s more like what “they” have created to the rental market.
What would be the chances of the rent being paid and the property not being wrecked? little and none, does he really think us all fools?
It appears he does 👍🏻🫤
We might help IF leave section 21 as it is and in. SO IF they or any tenant becomes problematic us PLL or and landlord can get them out.
Really, he wants to introduce More tenants in an already overcrowded market
You just cant make this up
Local authorities will be be pulling the strings and we all know they can’t be trusted.
So, NO. I value my sanity.
What planet is this ' minister ' on, is he not aware of the MILLIONS OF British already struggling to find increasingly sparse accommodation, brought on by the Long Cold War against the PRS
Do not trust any councils. They promise a lot and insufficient delivery. Run away from any problems caused by their tenants. Burn the carpet with an iron or burn marks on a kitchen worktop and say they would pay fraction of the cost of replacement based on the size of the burn, not for 50% replacement costs, but a tiny amount. Cleaning is never paid as they say it is the LLs responsibility to clean before and after tenancy. They are totally useless in at least 2 councils I have had council tenants. To begin with everything goes fine.
With RRB and S21 at risk, LL have to be cautious who they have as tenants. Council will not pay for any damage.
Let him first and see what he gets. And thinks after a year or so. But the real trouble folk are the Eastern immigrants- In am reliably informed.
I've had Romanians who were great. I also know a lot of Bulgarians. Much better principles and hard working that UK people. Wouldn't touch a Russian or an Albanian though.
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