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Less than a quarter of housing for asylum seekers meets minimum standards, according to an official report.
The chief inspector of borders and immigration today issued his long-delayed report into asylum seeker accommodation, which is provided by outsourcing companies G4S, Serco and Clearsprings.
Inspections of 8,313 properties carried out for the report revealed that just 24% of them were compliant with the requirements of the contract.
Meanwhile 43%, or 3,567 properties, were found to be “not fit for purpose” or “urgent”, meaning the provider was obliged to correct the issues within seven days.
Case studies of housing found examples of homes which were dirty, damp, leaking water, lacking ventilation, noisy and infested with rodents.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which responded to the report said that much of the accommodation is unsuitable to the specific needs of those living in it, many of whom are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, have survived torture or are victims of human trafficking.
Some women who have been trafficked, it was reported, were required to share accommodation with strangers or were placed in accommodation where men could easily access female areas.
In relation to one particular building, the report says: “Inspectors observed water cascading into the kitchen from the upstairs bathroom. Part of the kitchen ceiling was missing and a large pool of water had formed on the kitchen floor.
“There were signs of water damage to the kitchen and living room walls. The provider had placed a sign in the bathroom requesting service users to mop up water to prevent leaks.”
David Bolt, the chief inspector, wrote in the report: “Discussions with the Home Office, the providers, NGOs and service users about particular properties revealed how difficult it was to agree on what was ‘an acceptable standard’ of accommodation, and equally difficult to remain objective and to trust the intentions and actions of the other party.”
Mr Bolt recommended that the Home Office should produce an action plan to address these findings and revisit the results of previous inspections.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is committed to improving the service in the areas the inspector has highlighted.
“In addition, we have restructured our routine inspections so that our approach to managing the contracts and accommodation standards is more consistent nationally.”