Landlords Offered Bumper Rents to House Small Boat Migrants at Expense of Vulnerable Britons in Move Dubbed Labour’s ‘Day of Shame’

Landlords are being offered thousands of pounds more in rent to house asylum seekers than they would receive for accommodating British families facing homelessness.

A Home Office contractor is offering property owners lucrative three-year deals worth more than double the amount paid by local councils, raising fears that vulnerable tenants could be priced out of homes.

In one case, a landlord in south London was offered £4,500 a month for a three-bedroom flat he was already renting to Southwark Council for just £1,790.

The bumper deal would have left him £32,520 a year better off, with the contractor also offering to cover bills, council tax and maintenance costs.

But the landlord refused, warning that accepting the offer would mean terminating his agreement with the council and putting families at serious risk of homelessness.

The revelations have sparked fury among opposition politicians, who accused Labour of presiding over a system that puts migrants ahead of vulnerable Britons.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said it was a ‘day of shame’ for the Government.

The eye-watering offers are being made by Clearsprings Ready Homes, one of three private firms contracted by the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers across Britain.

The company, which has a taxpayer-funded contract worth around £7billion, is understood to be targeting landlords who currently provide accommodation to councils, students and vulnerable people, including those fleeing domestic abuse.

It is hoped that generous rental payments and long-term contracts will encourage property owners to switch their homes into asylum accommodation.

But the practice has raised concerns that councils already struggling to find homes for homeless families could be priced out of the market.

One landlord, who already provides accommodation to Southwark Council, told The Sun he was astonished by the difference between the two offers, particularly as both arrangements were ultimately funded through the public purse.

Prospective landlords are also being told that properties may require extensive refurbishment before they can be used.

Clearsprings is run by businessman Graham King, who has been dubbed the ‘Asylum King’ after building a fortune from government contracts to accommodate migrants.

The 66-year-old founded the company in 1999 and began providing accommodation for asylum seekers the following year.

He has since amassed an estimated fortune of £726million, while his company has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of Britain’s costly asylum accommodation system.

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A document obtained by The Sun reportedly shows that Clearsprings is seeking additional properties in areas including Bedford, Southampton, the Forest of Dean, Caerphilly and Wrexham.

The Government has closed more than 100 asylum hotels as part of efforts to reduce the accommodation bill, with some residents instead moved into residential properties and former military facilities.

However, the latest revelations raise questions about whether the drive to move migrants out of hotels risks creating further pressure on Britain’s already stretched housing market.

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The Home Office insisted that taxpayers were protected by contractual limits on how much the Government pays accommodation providers.

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