Source: geograph.org.uk
In a bid to tackle concerns about illegal immigration ahead of the election in May, the coalition government is taking extra steps to combat the potential for abuse. Feeling that property owners are not doing enough, they are cracking down on landlords who are renting to illegal immigrants.
Following a pilot scheme in the Midlands, HM Border Force has new powers to prosecute landlords and other property owners for failing to make relevant checks.
What These Measures Mean For You
If any of the following applies to you, then you are subject to the scheme and liable to prosecution if renting to illegal immigrants:
- Renting any accommodation in the UK to individuals or families. This applies whether you are renting out an entire property or simply taking a lodger into your home
- You are a letting agent providing any service for landlords
- You are a hotel or guesthouse owner where a guest stays for a period of more than three months
- You intend to live in any rented accommodation based in the UK at any point
As a landlord, you could face fines of up to £3,000 for failing to make some simple checks. When engaging with prospective new tenants, it is prudent to take the following steps in making sure you won’t be renting to illegal immigrants:
- Check the prospective tenant’s identity. Ask to see official forms of identification, a passport or driver’s license for example
- Ask for a National Insurance number. Everyone legally living in the UK will have one for NI purposes
- It may also be wise to seek a credit score rating. Anybody in the UK legally or is of native birth is likely to have one
- If they are a migrant to the UK and offer a foreign passport or birth certificate, you are within your rights to ask for proof of their right to be in the UK – keep copies for your records
- The person named on the rental agreement may be legal, so it is your duty to check the names of all people who will be living in the property – one or more of the others may be illegal
- It is your duty to report any discrepancies on the above to the Home Office
To aid landlords make their checks, a special government website called Right to Rent has been set up.
Source: wikimedia.org
Are Your Student Tenants Genuine?
University Halls of Residence are not obliged to make these checks, so it more than likely that students coming to you about renting your property have already been in the country and studying for at least one year. This does not mean they are necessarily here legally. As with non-student tenants, you must go through regular checks, even if they claim and can prove they have been in the country for several years, to ensure you are not renting to illegal immigrants.