Landlord Voice Magazine April 2015 - Manchester | Page 4
Right-to-Rent checks - how they affect landlords
The Right-to-Rent checks
what every landlord should know
Landlords are legally obligated to check the identity and
citizenship of tenants or face fines up to £3,000
Latest figures from the Office
of National Statistics show
net migration to the UK between June 2013-14 was
260,000.
And whether you consider this figure, which is 22,000 less than the
previous year, to be good or bad for
the UK, it is important as a landlord
to keep in mind some new legislation when renting to foreign nationals.
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As part of a phased introduction of
the Home Office’s Code of Practice
on illegal immigrants and private
rented accommodation under the
Immigration Act 2014, landlords
are now legally obligated to check
the right of prospective tenants to
be in the country if they want to
avoid a fine of up to £3,000.
The scheme was introduced in the
West Midlands in December 2014.
Immigration and Security Minister
James Brokenshire claims the new
‘right to rent’ checks have been designed to ensure ‘an immigration
system that is fair to British citizens
and legitimate migrants and tough
on those who abuse the system or
flout the law.’
“They will also act as a new line of
attack against unscrupulous landlords who exploit people by renting
out substandard, overcrowded and
unsafe accommodation.”
Landlords will need to see evidence
of a person’s identity and citizenship, for example a passport or biometric residence permit, when considering a tenant application.
“A landlord’s
responsibility for
citizens of a European Economic Area
country or Swiss
nationals ends once
they have confirmed
the tenant’s
identification”
The same applies with foreign nationals who have the right of abode
in the UK, or who have been granted indefinite leave to remain or
have no time limit on their stay in
the UK.
But for those who are not British
citizens, EEA or Swiss nationals and
have a time-limited right to rent,
follow-up checks will often be n X