Trade body backs attempts to overturn Right To Rent migrant checks

Trade body backs attempts to overturn Right To Rent migrant checks


Todays other news
The Renters Rights Bill turns to the House of Lords...
Liam Monaghan is managing director of London Central Portfolio...
There are revenue streams to emerge from the Renters Rights...
The analysis is by Hamptons, part of the Connells Group...
The homes were originally sold under the controversial Right To...


The Residential Landlords Association has reiterated its opposition to Right To Rent, and is backing two legal challenges to the measure.

Letting Agent Today reported yesterday that two challenges were being mounted – one in the shape of a judicial review being sought by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, and the other being a similar case initiated by London’s Camden Community Law Centre.

Under the Right to Rent Scheme, landlords – or their agents in their place – are responsible for checking the immigration status of tenants with the prospect of prosecution if they know or have “reasonable cause to believe” that the property they are letting is occupied by someone who does not have the right to rent in the UK.

The fear of criminal sanctions has made many landlords reluctant about renting to non-UK nationals out of fear of being duped by forged documents, according to the RLA.  

Research by the JCWI has found that the scheme has made 51 per cent of landlords less likely to consider letting to foreign nationals. 

This is backed up by similar research by the RLA which it will be using to support both cases. 

Despite requests for it, the association says the Home Office has refused to publish a database of what all acceptable forms of identification for the scheme look like, arguing that there are simply too many from countries around the world.

The same JCWI research found that 48 per cent of landlords were less likely to rent to someone without a British passport as a result of the scheme because of the threat of criminal sanctions. This poses serious difficulties for the 17 per cent of UK residents who do not have a passport.

In October the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration announced a new review of the Right to Rent, it warned that this “will not examine any unintended consequences of Right to Rent, for example discrimination against would-be tenants, increased homelessness, or displacement.” 

This is because, it said, it “does not have the capacity to conduct a meaningful examination of the unintended consequences of RTR at this time.”

Share this article ...

Join the conversation: Login and have your say

Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions. All comments are screened using specialist software and may be reviewed by our editorial team before publication. Letting Agent Today reserves the right to edit, withhold or delete comments that violate our guidelines, including those that harass, degrade, or intimidate others. Users who post such content may be banned from commenting.
By commenting, you agree to our Commenting Terms of Use.
Recommended for you
Related Articles
The Renters Rights Bill turns to the House of Lords...
Liam Monaghan is managing director of London Central Portfolio...
There are revenue streams to emerge from the Renters Rights...
loc8me says the scheme is open to anyone aged 16...
The BoE has come to a decision on interest rates...
The removal of temporary rent controls may make buy-to-let more...
There will be a greater emphasis on digitisation....
Recommended for you
Latest Features
The Renters Rights Bill turns to the House of Lords...
Liam Monaghan is managing director of London Central Portfolio...
There are revenue streams to emerge from the Renters Rights...
Sponsored Content
With less than a month to go until the UK...
The UK government has implemented 16 financial sanctions rule changes...
The owners of the Rentman software application (for property Lettings...

Send to a friend

In order to send this article to a friend you must first login. Click on the button below to login or sign up.

No one likes pop-ups ...
But while you're here