Immigration Bill Amended to Protect Landlords

Members of parliament have approved of changes to the Immigration Bill that will ensure responsible landlords are not unfairly punished. Previously under the Bill, landlords would have to face immediate criminal sanctions if it was discovered that a tenant occupying one of their properties did not have the legal right to reside in the UK. No distinction was made between those hadn’t bothered checking, and those who had been duped by false documents.

The new changes to Right to Rent, which came into force in February, will provide protection for landlords who take reasonable steps in an appropriate time frame to terminate the tenancies of tenants who are in the country illegally.

The Residential Landlords Association had been pushing hard for this amendment ever since the Bill was passed. Responding to the change, RLA policy director David Smith said: “The RLA warmly welcomes the government’s pragmatic changes to its Right to Rent scheme that will provide protection for good landlords from the unintended consequences of the policy.

“It is particularly helpful that the changes were approved by MPs without a vote, a sign of cross party support for the measure.”

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