Prospective tenants with foreign accents are being rejected, according to the first indications from the Immigration Act “right to rent” pilot scheme.
According to ongoing monitoring of a pilot scheme by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, new rules which require landlords or their agents to check the immigration status of prospective tenants are leading to discrimination.
The pilot scheme was launched in December in the midlands, before the policy is due to be rolled out across the UK.
According to the first results of the monitoring, the additional checking requirement is also pushing up costs for tenants, with extra admin fees being charged.
Landlords have also admitted they are less likely to offer a viewing to someone who needed time to produce paperwork.
The Immigration Act has introduced penalties where there is failure to conduct checks on tenants, with fines of up to £3,000 for breaches.
But the Council for the Welfare of Immigrants says it is encouraging discrimination against some legitimate tenants who cannot easily identify themselves.
Saira Grant, legal and policy director, said: “This impacts not only on many migrants but on all those without passports or full birth certificates.”
Housing charity Shelter is also monitoring the pilot for evidence of racial discrimination.
Martha Mackenzie, public affairs officer for Shelter, said: “If you’re a landlord in a high-demand area and you have got two tenants competing for the property, you’re just going to pick someone who’s got a British name.
“People who do have a right to rent in the UK will be shut out.”
* Eye would be very interested to hear the experiences of letting agents in the pilot area and to find out how you are getting on. Either post below, or email the editor in complete confidence at ros@propertyindustryeye.com
Comments (5)
I do not see what the big issue is here. I already take photo copies of original passport visa etc and we use a professional referencing company to carryout a full profile check. The only additional work is clicking on to the GOV link to their web site to input data on passport & visa. This gives an immediate response and you diarise expiry dates….no big deal in time or cost.
However I do feel the GOV is targeting the wrong market…..illegal immigrants already come in under the radar and occupy properties you are unlikely to find in the High Street Agents shopfront. Illegal immigration and properties are in the same supply chain with the same people running them.
We are coming down to the view that unless a tenant has a EU passport or indefinite right to stay we wont let to them. its too much hassle and risk. It business not personal.
Once again Shelter (and others) are directing their fire at the wrong target. Landlords and agents didn’t ASK for yet another layer of bureaucracy which is risky (£3000 fines and harassment by disappointed applicants) time-consuming and expensive to administer. Why don’t these goody 2-shoes organisations take this entire subject up with the government and leave us bl**dy well alone ??
So if we have two tenants one with a EU passport and one with a non Eu passport but with a 12 month visa and 9 months left to run which are we going to go with? Clearly the EU passport holder as its less admin work and risk for us as an agency. Why should we have to monitor and keep ongoing checks on the visa status of a tenant, why should we bear the risk of a £3000 per tenant – much better to just let to EU passport holders or those with an indefinite permission to stay.
One has to ask why a legitimate tenant would have any problems identifying themselves? passport, id card, FO documentation – any legitimate tenant should have these to hand.
Typical of Shelter to look at it from entirely the wrong angle