Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what statutory requirements are placed on Home Office accommodation providers to notify local planning authorities before acquiring or leasing Class C3 dwellinghouses for conversion into multi-occupancy asylum accommodation; and whether such providers are required to comply with local Article 4 Directions restricting Class C4 HMO conversions.

The Home Office records information provided by accommodation providers on the type of accommodation used within the asylum accommodation estate, including whether a property is recorded as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). However, the Home Office does not currently hold centrally collated information identifying the number of asylum dispersal accommodation that meet the physical definition of an HMO and are located within local authority subject to an Article 4 Direction.