# The Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023, Regulation 2: Amendment of section 254 of the Housing Act 2004


(1) Section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 (meaning of “house in multiple occupation”) is amended as follows.
(2) After subsection (5) insert—
“(5A) A building, or part of a building, in England which is within subsection (1) is not a house in multiple occupation for the purposes of Part 2 during the relevant period if—
(a) it is occupied solely or principally by asylum-seekers or members of their household; and
(b) the person managing or having control of it is—
(i) a relevant landlord, or
(ii) an AASC provider; and
(c) in the case of an AASC provider, the occupation as mentioned in paragraph (a) began in the period beginning with the date the Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023 came into force and ending with 30th June 2024.
(5B) For the purposes of subsection (5A) and this subsection—
(a) “AASC provider” means a person who has entered into a contract with the Secretary of State to procure accommodation for asylum-seekers to discharge the functions of the Secretary of State under section 4, 95 or 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
(b) “asylum-seeker” means a person to whom support may be provided under section 4, 95 or 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
(c) “asylum-seeker accommodation contract” means a contract between an AASC provider and another person under which that other person contracts to provide accommodation to asylum-seekers, but does not include a renewal of a contract entered into before the relevant period;
(d) “relevant landlord” means a person who has entered into an asylum-seeker accommodation contract with an AASC provider during the period beginning with the day the Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023 came into force and ending with 30 June 2024;
(e) “relevant period” in relation to a building, or part of a building, means the period of 2 years beginning with—
(i) where the person managing or having control of it is a relevant landlord, the date the asylum-seeker accommodation contract, pursuant to which the building or part of the building is occupied as mentioned in subsection (5A)(a), was entered into;
(ii) where the person managing or having control of it is an AASC provider, the date that the building or part of the building started to be occupied as mentioned in subsection (5A)(a).”.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2023/9780348246889/regulation/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-houses-in-multiple-occupation-asylum-seeker-accommodation-england-regulations-2023/regulation-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.