New tougher rules for landlords in England will be included in the upcoming Immigration Bill, according to an announcement by the Department of Communities and Local Government released yesterday (3 August).
Landlords would be required to run checks on the immigration status of all of their tenants and will be required to evict those, whose asylum applications have been rejected by the Home Office.
In some cases, evictions would even be allowed without a court intervention.
This is part of the government’s re-newed efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration as the situation in Calais continues to escalate.
While the new rules are aimed to tackle immigration issues, they are also targeted at improving the private rented sector by identifying and penalising rogue landlords who take advantage of vulnerable migrants.
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.
“In future, landlords will be required to ensure that the people they rent their properties to are legally entitled to be in the country.
“We will also require them to meet their basic responsibilities as landlords, cracking down on those who rent out dangerous, dirty and overcrowded properties.”
In a technical discussion paper on tackling rogue landlords the Department of Communities and Local Government says the government is determined to drive rogue landlords out of business. The paper also pledges further support for good landlords and invites views on “tackling the problem of abandonment in the sector, where a tenant simply disappears, leaving the landlord uncertain over their right to repossess.”
“We are keen to engage with local authorities, landlords, letting agents and tenant groups on all of these issues. We want to understand how best to implement our proposals and avoid any adverse outcomes,” the paper states.
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