If you’re thinking of taking on a buy-to-let property in the West Midlands, there’s a new law you need to know about.
New legislation means that, as of 1 December, landlords in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley, and Wolverhampton will have to carry out ‘right to rent’ checks for new tenancy agreements to determine whether their tenants have the right to live in the UK legally. If they do not and the landlords have not made the appropriate checks, they could face fines of up to £3,000.
The new measures in the Immigration Act are being piloted across the West Midlands before being rolled out across the rest of the UK.
In most cases, the checks will take a matter of minutes and the landlords will simply need to check the tenant’s passport or Biometric Residence Permit. However, in more complicated cases, landlords may have to contact the Home Office for advice.
Helpfully, South England law firm Moore Blatch has produced a free, easily downloadable checklist on its website to help those landlords having to conduct ‘right to rent’ immigration checks.
Simon Kenny, head of immigration at Moore Blatch, says: “It is becoming increasingly difficult for landlords to keep up with the constant changes in legislation. By putting a free, easily downloadable checklist up on our website, we aim to help them navigate the more complex rules relating to ‘right to rent’.
“If a landlord has any outstanding issues or queries, we would always recommend that he / she seeks legal advice.”
