‘Right To Rent’ Rules Discriminate Against Non-UK Nationals

Plans to force landlords across Britain to check the immigration status of potential tenants will be challenged in court this week after claims that they are causing serious discrimination. Landlords, politicians and immigration lawyers have all raised concerns about the “right to rent” policy, a key branch of the government’s attempt to create a “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants. Under the rules landlords face fines, or even prison, should they house people with no right to be in the country. However, there is now evidence that landlords are ignoring tenancy applications from people with “foreign-sounding” names, from ethnic minorities, and from those without British passports. Choosing someone with a British passport means landlords do not have to carry out additional online checks. Read more on the Observer website.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/02/legal-challenge-rent-rules-discriminate-non-uk-nationals

Right To Rent Criminal Sanctions Come Into Effect

New regulations contained in The Immigration Act 2016 came into force from 1st December, making changes to the Right-to-Rent scheme.  Landlords currently face a fine of up to £3000 if they are found to be letting property to people without the right to reside in England. From 1st December however a landlord will have committed a criminal offence where they know or have “reasonable cause to believe” that the property they are letting is occupied by someone who is disqualified due to their immigration status. An offence is also being brought in from 1st December for agents who knew or “had reasonable cause to believe” that their landlord client was letting to a tenant who was disqualified due to their immigration status. Read more on the NLA website.

Government Failing Landlords On Right To Rent

More than 90% of landlords have received no information from the Government on their new legal duty to check the immigration status of their tenants. This is despite a law coming into force demanding landlords undertake checks on their tenants to ensure they have the right to live in the country. According to a survey of over 1,500 landlords the lack of information from the Government is leading to confusion about how landlords are expected to carry out the checks. The survey found that that 72% of landlords do not understand their obligations under the policy, designed to make the country a more hostile environment for illegal immigrants. Read more on the Residential Landlords Association website.

Half Of Landlords Unprepared For ‘Right To Rent’

A new survey of 5,000 landlords by online agent Urban.co.uk has found that half of UK landlords are not prepared for new 'right to rent' legislation, which comes into force on 1 February 2016. 20% of those questioned believed that they had until April 2017 to get ready for the changes and 3% believed they had until 2018. The legislation will be in place nationally next month and require all landlords and agents in England to check a tenant’s immigration status (‘right to rent’) in the UK. Landlords failing to do so could find themselves with a potential fine of £3,000. Among the other findings in the report are that only 10% of landlords provide the correct information to their tenants at the start of a lease; most landlords (90% of those surveyed) were unable to identify the characteristics of a House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO); and 16% were failing to provide a valid contact address on tenancy agreements, risking a substantial fine. Read more on the What House? website.

Farron Attempts To Curb Right To Rent Policy

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has tabled a motion to axe the Right to Rent plans that Farron has blasted as ‘dog whistle politics of the worst kind’. A trial of Right to Rent, introduced in the West Midlands in 2014, resulted in only one fine being issued to a landlord. The burden is enormous with England’s 1.8 million private landlords, 75% of whom only own one or two properties, being required to check prospective tenants’ immigration status from 1 February. Campaigners fear that, rather than carry out the checks, some landlords will simply select people on the grounds of their name or ethnicity. Read more on 24dash.

Landlords Could Be Fined £3,000 For Failing To Check Tenants' Immigration Status

Landlords will need to check the immigration status of any new tenants moving into properties from next February or face a £3,000 fine, the government has announced. These 'right to rent' rules are set to be introduced for all new tenancy agreements from 1 February 2016 in England. As well as traditional landlords, individuals who sub-let, and homeowners who take in lodgers, must also check the right of prospective tenants to reside in the country.  Landlords will need to check and retain copies of certain documents that show a potential tenant has the right to live in the UK. These include:

·         UK passport

·         EEA passport or identity card

·         Permanent residence card or travel document showing indefinite leave to remain

·         Home Office immigration status document

·         Certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen.

Read more on the Daily Mail website.

Right To Rent Roll Out Announced For England

The Home Office has confirmed the roll-out date of the Government’s Right to Rent policy in England as the 1st February 2016. From 1 February 2016 all private landlords letting property in England will be required to check the immigration status – or right-to-rent – of prospective tenants before agreeing to establish a new tenancy. Announcements concerning the implementation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected at a later date. Read more on the NLA website.

Scheme To Check Immigration Status Of Renters Shows "Alarming" Impact On Homelessness

The government has announced that it will push ahead with plans requiring landlords to check the immigration status of renters following a Home Office evaluation of a pilot scheme. The evaluation shows that six of the local charities surveyed said people they represent had become homeless as a result of the scheme, while interviews with landlords found the ‘potential’ for discrimination. Seven of the charities reported that people who have the right to rent, but not the right documentation, were struggling to find accommodation. Responding to the evaluation, national homelessness charity, Crisis, raised grave concerns that the measures could leave people homeless and at risk of discrimination. Read more on the Crisis website.

80% of UK's Landlords Unaware of Imminent Tenant Immigration Status Law

A new survey has found that the majority of UK landlords are unaware of imminent legislation that will require them to check the immigration status of their tenants. From 1 December, checks will need to be made on all adults aged 18 or over who are using a property as their only or main residence. Landlords that fail to carry out the checks face being hit with heavy penalties. Read more on 24dash.

£3,000 Fine in Plan to Tackle 'Beds in Sheds'

Landlords may be forced to check the immigration status of prospective tenants before allowing them to rent a property from next year or face a potential hefty fine, under rules in the new Immigration Bill. The Government says it will enforce the stricter rules on one location in the UK in two months' time to check a tenant's right to be in the country - the location of which is yet to be announced. These rules could then be rolled out across the country. Those who fail to check a new tenant’s immigration status could face a fine of up to £3,000 if the slip-up means they have someone in their property who is in the country illegally. Read more on the Daily Mail website.