Tories Propose Ending Social Housing for Foreign Nationals

The Conservative proposal includes ending new tenancies for all foreign nationals. It also targets current tenancies for couples where neither person is a UK, Irish, nor EU citizen.

Under these proposed changes, ineligible tenants would face a six-month deadline to vacate their homes. Individuals holding EU settled status would not be subject to eviction.

Helen Whately stated that British families endure years on council waiting lists. She noted many thousands of homes in the capital are let below market rates to citizens of other countries.

Whately further claimed that social housing is difficult to obtain and heavily subsidised. Tenancies can last a lifetime and, in some cases, be inherited by future generations.

Whately asserted that the welfare bill, which includes housing benefit, is out of control. She argued welfare should function as a safety net, not a lifestyle choice.

Whately emphasised the need for a fair system that instils public confidence and prioritises British people. The Conservative Party will end social housing tenancies for foreign nationals, excluding those with EU Settled Status.

For every future tenancy, only UK nationals would be eligible. All other nationalities, including EU citizens, would be excluded from social housing.

As these properties become available, they would pass directly to British families at the top of waiting lists. This includes those in expensive bed and breakfast accommodation or unaffordable private rentals.

The Conservatives estimate that ending new tenancies for all foreign nationals, as well as current tenancies for couples where neither person is a UK, Irish, or EU citizen, would free up an estimated 228,144 homes for British families.

The Conservatives also claim Labour had "lost control of immigration." This, they state, leaves British families sitting on housing waiting lists.

In 2024-25, 2.3% of new lettings were allocated to refugees. This comprised 800 UK nationals and 3,900 non-UK nationals.

Asylum seekers are generally not eligible for social housing. Exceptions apply only under exceptional circumstances.

A Labour spokesperson criticised the proposals, stating: "No amount of headline-chasing, or following Reform to the extremes, can hide the damage the Tories did to our housing system. The least they could do is acknowledge their failures and apologise."

As of March 2025, 1.34 million households remained on social housing waiting lists across England.