Activist group Generation Rent wants the Renters Rights Bill amended to scrap the Right To Rent.

Landlords or agents acting for them are legally required by the government to check their tenant’s immigration status to confirm that they have a right to rent in England.

The Immigration Act 2014 and the Immigration Act 2016 contain the provisions that make up the Right to Rent scheme. 

Although landlords and agents must not make assumptions about who has the right to rent, Generation Rent says past research by the government found that 25% of landlords were unwilling, on principle, to let to non-British passport holders, even when they would have the right to rent here.

Generation Rent’s own research claims that back in 2022 more than two in five migrant private renters struggled to find a landlord or letting agent to rent to them as a migrant; more recently a survey of landlords in the summer found 24% felt unable to rent to non-UK passport holders.

In the same research, 56% of landlords who felt unable to rent to non-UK passport holders cited the risk of civil penalties when being caught out by the Right to Rent policy as a reason; and 85% of prospective tenants did not receive any response when enquiring for a new home when they asked the landlord or letting agent to conduct an online ‘Right to Rent’ check according to an immigration help service. 

Generation Rent says: “The Renters’ Reform Bill is a huge opportunity to reform and rebuild private renting for all. However, for it to be a successful Bill, it must reach those in most need of change. That is marginalised renters – especially those who are from migrant and minority ethnic communities – facing the sharpest end of the housing and rental crisis.

“For the Renters’ Rights Bill to reach through to marginalised communities it must end the Right to Rent policy.

“This discriminatory policy restricts the number of safe and secure homes available to migrant peoples and minority ethnic communities and forces many to choose between enduring poor quality and even dangerous living conditions and homelessness.”

The government says it has no intention of ending Right To Rent.