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Landlords must evict illegal immigrants or face jail

passport imageLandlords will face up to five years in prison if they rent properties to illegal immigrants or fail to evict tenants who lose the right to live in England under new measures announced by the Government this week.

Landlords, who will be required to check a migrant’s status before agreeing a new tenancy, will also be permitted to terminate rental leases, on occasions without a court order, when asylum requests are rejected. Failure to do so could see landlords face up to five years in prison.

The Government’s aim is to make it harder for illegal immigrants to live in the UK, while also clamping down on rogue landlords who provide immigrants with unsafe and often overcrowded accommodation.

Greg Clark Communities SecretaryGreg Clark (left), the Communities Secretary, 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.”

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has welcomed the new rules for landlords contained within the Immigration Bill.

David Cox ARLA imageDavid Cox (right), Managing Director, ARLA, said, “ARLA believes that the measures announced by the Government today are a good first step and we welcome the proposals in principle. The plans will help to weed out the minority of rogue landlords who exploit vulnerable immigrants for their own financial gain and, with the introduction of a new five year imprisonment penalty, will help to deter other such unscrupulous individuals from entering the private rented sector.

“The proposals also build upon the Right to Rent checks as imposed by the Immigration Act 2014, which we expect to be rolled out nationally following a pilot scheme in the West Midlands. We will be organising training sessions for our members to ensure they are fully prepared and understand the new rules and we urge all letting agents to ensure they are ready for the impending roll out.”

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