CIH warns of Immigration Bill impact
New immigration check rules could cause landlords to ‘shy away’ from letting homes to non-British tenants who are in the country legally, the Chartered Institute of Housing has warned.
The Conservative government today announced landlords will be expected to evict illegal immigrants or face prison under proposals announced today.
The Immigration Bill will give landlords the ability to end tenancies, sometimes without a court order, when tenants are no longer allowed legally to remain in the UK.
Landlords repeatedly failing to check the status of their tenants, or who fail to remove illegal immigrants from their properties could face up to five years in prison.
Terrie Alafat, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), said: “Checking immigration status is complicated so landlords may shy away from letting to anyone they believe isn’t British, even if they have a legal right to live in the UK – especially if they face a jail sentence for getting it wrong.
“For many people, private renting is the only option, and if this is removed homelessness and destitution may follow.”
The new legislation would build on previously announced measures, currently being piloted in some areas of the UK, to require landlords to check the immigration status of prospective tenants.
“These measures do not apply to social landlords where they have already been subjected to checks through the council waiting list nomination process.
Communities secretary Greg Clark said: “We are determined to crack down on rogue landlords who make money out of illegal immigration – exploiting vulnerable people and undermining our immigration system.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government has not so far been able to confirm the extent to which the latest rules would apply to social landlords.
