The NLA is warning MPs that UK landlords could be put at risk if the
government proceeds with plans to force landlords to check their tenant’s
immigration status. However, ministers are convinced that the system will work
and that landlords are in an excellent position to be able to identify illegal
immigrants who are not entitled to be in the UK.
Landlords Keeping Tabs on Tenants
The new system will come into effect in October next year. Landlords will be
expected to check documentation provided by tenants. If tenants cannot prove
they are UK citizens they will have to produce documents to prove their
status, which landlords will be able to verify by contacting the Home Office.
Potential Fines
Unwittingly renting a property to an illegal immigrant will not attract
criminal penalties, but landlords will be fined if they mistakenly take on a
tenant who is not entitled to be in the UK. But the fines are only part of the
wider picture. The NLA are concerned that asking landlords to check up on
tenants could put them in the firing line.
The NLA Speaks Out
“Landlords simply cannot walk in the property and require the tenant to speak
to them,” Chairwoman of the NLA, Carolyn Uphall, was quoted as saying in a BBC
report a couple of days ago. “If a landlord just turns up unannounced that can
be harassment and a criminal offence.”
“In the worse scenario, the tenant feeling themselves possibly under threat –
because they might be sent out of the country and perhaps back to a war zone
they are very frightened off – could potentially become aggressive with the
landlord.”
The NLA is concerned that some tenants may become aggressive if they feel
their immigration status is in question, which could lead to vulnerable
tenants being forced to use rogue landlords.
If you are a landlord, what is your opinion on the matter? Let us know in the
comments.
