The Conservatives will end the provision of social housing for foreign nationals in England if they win the next election.

In an announcement over the weekend the party said 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 228,144 homes for British families.

It would effectively oblige foreign nationals who could not buy a home to use the private rental sector.

The new Tory policy has echoes of the Reform UK pledge to make foreign national tenants find private accommodation within three months or face possible deportation.

Under the Conservative plan, ineligible tenants would be expected to move out of their homes within six months. 

Any single person currently living in social housing who is not a UK, Irish or EU citizen would lose their social home. This includes those with or without children.

Couples, where neither of them are UK or EU citizens, and they do not have EU settled status, will also lose their entitlement.

Anyone with EU settled status would not be evicted.

For future tenancies, UK nationals and those with EU settled status would be eligible but any new EU citizens without settled status would not be.

Foreign nationals with settled status, refugee status, or specific humanitarian protections can currently qualify for social housing.

Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing, unless in exceptional circumstances such as domestic abuse cases.

The vast majority of social housing lettings are given to single people. 

In 2024-25, most lead tenants of new social lettings, the person in whose name the social home is rented, were UK nationals – 89% or 233,000 tenants.

In the same period, 2.3% of new lettings were given to refugees – 800 refugees were UK nationals, while the remaining 3,900 were non-UK nationals.