The Government is set to do a U-turn on plans to force landlords to check their tenants’ immigration status or face fines of up to £3,000.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the plans – announced in the Queen’s Speech in May – are in chaos and will have to be dramatically scaled back.
The report says that both Tory and Lib Dem ministers are warning that the proposal risks criminalising many small landlords, and that they should not be treated as an extension of the Border Agency.
A Home Office source confirmed that the legislation was likely to be reined in, and predicted that it would be limited to small-scale pilot schemes before being quietly abandoned.
Under the reforms, all private landlords would have to check the migration status of every tenant – although many would do so through their letting agents.
Tenants would have to produce documents showing they have permission to be in the UK, but critics say there are a large number of different documents which many lay people would not be able to understand.
There have also been concerns about landlords’ ongoing responsibilities for tenants already in their properties, and whose status may have gone from legal to illegal.
Under the proposals, first-time offenders would be fined £1,000 per illegal immigrant in their property.
Landlords who had failed to make proper checks within the last three years would be sent an advisory letter and fined £3,000 per tenant.
However, critics of the scheme have also queried how it could be policed, given the Border Agency’s own record of failings.
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Comments
We're not an online agent, but like I said we're completely different to your standard high street agent. You probably won't have come across anyone like us before so please don't assume I'm commenting from the perspective of a traditional or online agent.
The risks of money laundering, illegal immigration or other fraud are extremely low in our sector.
Have you never heard of 'certified copy'?
@Sigh of relief
Sounds like you're a cheapo on-line agent. Do you see originals of driving licences and passports to verify ID and Address? If you only see copies, you're leaving your landlord clients exposed to a massive fraud risk. Good luck.
It can be very difficult. It totally depends on your demographic and business model. For a run-of-the-mill, local high street agent offering properties on the standard open market then I agree with you. But without giving too much away, lets just say in our business it would be restrictive, costly and quite unnecessary (for both us and the tenant).
@Sigh of relief
This should be a basic check that EVERY Landlord and Letting Agent should carry out regardless of the law.
How hard is it to see a copy of Tenants Passport and a valid Visa if required?
The answer, not very!
Good riddance! Let's hope the Mail is actually right for once.