Landlords must check immigrant’s ‘right to rent’ or face a fine

The government’s ‘right to rent’ scheme, which will require landlords to check the immigration status of tenants, will be piloted in Birmingham and the West Midlands from 1 December 2014.

Landlords will need to check a tenant’s ‘right to rent’ before providing a property. This includes seeing evidence of identity and citizenship. Landlords will then need to make copies of the tenant’s documents as proof that the correct checks have been made.

Landlords who fail to make the necessary checks could be fined up to £3,000.

It is the first phase of the scheme which the government says will “create a hostile environment” for illegal immigrants.

The new measures are part of an update to the Immigration Act. They will come in to force in Birmingham and the Black Country on 1 December, before being introduced in the rest of Britain next year.

Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire said: “We are building an immigration system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and tough on those who abuse the system or flout the law.

“The right to rent checks are quick and simple, but will make it more difficult for immigration offenders to stay in the country when they have no right to be here.”

Please contact Santokh Singh for more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of commercial property law.