London’s rental crisis has led to record numbers of homeless families living in hotels, costing the taxpayer over £8,000 per household per month. Westminster Council has confirmed that the
number of households living in hotels has increased by an astonishing 1,740% over the past two years. The council blames the cost of living crisis and the shortage of private rented properties for the surge in numbers.
Each hotel room costs an average of £268 per night, which works out to almost £1,900 per week or £8,152 per month. According to a report by Debbie Jackson, Westminster’s executive director of growth, planning, and housing, the council has long been “very reliant on the Private Rented Sector leased for its temporary accommodation”. However, with the supply drying up, the council has been forced to resort to using hotels.
According to recent research from estate agent Hamptons, Britain’s rental sector is losing homes at a rate of 66 per day. In London, SpareRoom calculates there are 106,000 people looking for rooms to rent, against 1,500 available properties.
The report shows that in 2020/21, fewer than 10 homeless households were accommodated in commercial hotels, while between January 2022 and October 2022, this number had risen to 184 households—an increase of 1,740%. However, the council did not comment on how long the 184 households spent in hotels, although some remain for months or even years, or on how much its total hotel bill was in 2022. Its total spend on all forms of temporary accommodation came in at £48 million.
The rental crisis is not unique to London, as cities across the UK face a growing shortage of affordable housing. A study by Shelter revealed that 320,000 people in Britain are homeless, while another 1.6 million households are on housing waiting lists.
The situation is particularly dire for families with children. Children who experience homelessness are more likely to suffer from poor physical and mental health, perform poorly in school, and are at higher risk of abuse and neglect. The rise in homelessness is a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate and comprehensive solutions.
Some measures being taken to combat the problem include providing more social housing, introducing rent caps, and increasing protections for tenants. The government is also being urged to invest in affordable housing and to reform the private rented sector.
In conclusion, the surge in homeless families living in hotels in London is a direct result of the rental crisis and the shortage of affordable housing. The situation is a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate action from the government and local authorities to provide more social housing, introduce rent caps, and increase protections for tenants. Unless these measures are taken, the number of families living in hotels will continue to rise, and the cost to the taxpayer will continue to soar. Photo by R Sones, Wikimedia commons.