Notorious homeless housing block transformed into holiday lets

A block of flats which five years ago was a crime-ridden homeless housing complex is now being used for holiday lets.

Windsor Court in Windsor Street in the city centre was so notorious that housing activists campaigned for it to be closed down.

In March, Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed it was going to stop using it for temporary accommodation.

It now only rents six accessible units of accommodation for households with restricted mobility.

But several flats in the block are listed on Open Rent for up to £2,500, all on a short term basis, typically from one to six months.

One listing for a one-bedroom flat in the block says it is: “deal for professionals, business travellers, families relocating, contractors, or individuals in transition.”

In 2015, Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas called it “damp, dark and depressing” and called on Brighton and Hove City Council to stop housing homeless people there.

Owner Nazila Blencowe of Baron Homes threatened to end the company’s contract, saying the council did not do enough to support them.

She said some tenants trashed the flats and staff had been attacked, including one caretaker who was stabbed in the neck with a syringe.

But although the council continued sending homeless people there for a few more years, several flats are now being advertised as short term lets, with pictures showing they’ve had a significant facelift.

The flats are being listed on Open Rent by a range of different landlords. However, Land Registry records show none of them have been sold since they were first registered in 1996.

At that time, they were owned by Baron Homes Ltd. Brighton and Hove News asked Ms Blencowe if the flats advertised for short-term let were being let by subcontractors or aliases for Baron Homes.

She did not respond for a request for comment.