Right to rent scheme launched today

The pilot scheme which requires landlords to check the immigration status of renters has launched in Birmingham and the West Midlands today.

Related topics:  Landlords
Warren Lewis
1st December 2014
To Let Again

Under the Home Office scheme, landlords could face a £3,000 fine for failing to check whether prospective tenants are in the country legally.
 
Landlords now must ask to see evidence of a person's identity and citizenship. In cases where a passport cannot be produced, landlords can request further checks via a Government website.
 
Homeless charity Crisis said it has “fundamental concerns” over the scheme.
 
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “It is hard enough for homeless people to find a place to live and we are concerned that asking them to prove their immigration status to landlords could make matters worse.

Homeless people’s documents often get lost or stolen during periods of moving around or when sleeping rough and replacements can be expensive. In today’s high pressured rental market, landlords are unlikely to wait for a tenant to produce the required documents, choosing instead to rent to someone who can immediately provide the evidence.

We welcome measures to make it easier for people to prove their identity, as well the exemptions for hostels and emergency shelters. However, our fundamental concerns remain.  Homeless people must be protected and we will be working closely with the Government to make sure this happens.”
 
The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has set out the requirements of the Immigration Act 2014 and how letting agents should prepare in light of today’s pilot launch

David Cox, managing director, said the trial run will help the new legislative change to be implemented as efficiently and effectively as possible when it is finally rolled out across the country.
 
He said: “It is imperative that all agents are aware of the changes that are coming in to force under this Act, not just those in the initial pilot regions; for those found in breach of the legislation it carries civil penalties up to £3,000 per head. The monitoring and assessment of the pilot period and how it plays out will prove a useful exercise for letting agents across the country.”
 
David added: “Establishing routine ID checks for all adult occupiers will endeavour to ensure both that tenants do not suffer discrimination and that your excuse against civil penalty is established in every case. We believe that education on this key legislative change is an essential and fundamental part of our role as the trade body of this industry. All of our members in the West Midlands have recently undergone training to ensure they are prepared and fully understand what the new rules mean in practice.
 
However, while we see the Act as a step in the right direction and endeavour to educate our members, more needs to be done to introduce stricter regulation in the property industry. This is needed to not only clamp down on rogue landlords and criminal organisations flouting the rules, but to also bring the industry together to share best practice.”

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