Ask The Agent.
Richards is an independent Estate Agents in Corfe Mullen, specialising in residential properties for sale and rent as well as property management in Corfe Mullen, Wimborne and the surrounding areas.
Jason Spiers MNAEA, the owner of Richards Estate Agents, has been an agent for over 25 years.
Let us know any
questions you may have about moving and he’ll answer them for you.
Hello Jason,
I am a small-scale private landlord. Is it true that people like me are now expected to check the immigration status of all prospective tenants? Mr Batley
Hello Mr Batley,
I’m afraid so. This is the so-called Right to Rent legislation, which applied to the entire country from 1st February 2016. Basically, it requires all private landlords in England – including people who sub- let or even just take in lodgers – to check that any new tenants have the right to be in the UK, before renting out their property to them. Failure to check could result in a fi ne of up to £3,000 per tenant, if they are subsequently found to be here illegally.
These rules are part of the Immigration Act 2014 – an Immigration Bill that builds on the reforms in previous acts, and has new measures to make it easier for landlords to evict illegal tenants. It also creates a new criminal offence targeted at unscrupulous landlords who repeatedly fail to carry out the proper right to rent checks.
Under right to rent, landlords should check identity documents for all new tenants and take copies. A range of commonly available documents can be
used. These basically fall into two main categories:
1) UK
passports, current driving licenses and offi cial paperwork issued by
HMRC or the Department of Work and Pensions, which prove that the holder has the right to permanent residence in the UK
2) other types of document, which are applicable to people who only have the right to stay in the UK for a limited amount of time.
All new tenants – British citizens or not – will have to undergo these checks, but people with a legitimate right to be here should (at least, according to the Government!) have no trouble proving it.
Needless to say, these rules have received a mixed response – to put it mildly. Why landlords should effectively be made to do the work of the Border Agency is only one of the questions that have been raised, and pretty much ignored.
Still, the fact remains that you and every other landlord will have to abide by the rules. The Government provides guidance notes for all landlords – which you can check on the Home Offi ce website:
www.gov.uk/check-tenant-right-to- rent-documents.
Alternatively, of course, if you use a reputable lettings agent, they will do the checks for you.
Kind regards Jason
Ask The Agent is brought to you by Richards Estate Agents in Corfe Mullen.
If you have a question for Jason, please email:
jason@richardsestateagents.co.uk or feel free to pick up the phone and call us on (01202) 602121.
28 To advertise, please contact 01202 657317 or email
karen@broadstonelink.co.uk
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