Number of asylum seekers living in hotels across UK halves in a year

Police outside the Bell hotel in Epping in July 2025. This summer the Home Office stopped using the hotel to house asylum seekers. Photograph: SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The number of asylum seekers living in hotels has halved in a year, Home Office figures show.

Sweeping changes to the asylum system have also led to a significant drop in legal arrivals and asylum claims, but the numbers of asylum seekers housed in private accommodation has increased as the government moves people from hotels into privately rented houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).