Right to Rent slammed

The vast majority of landlords have not received any information from the Government about the new Right to Rent scheme which was rolled out across England this week, new research shows. From Monday 1st February 2016 it became compulsory for all private landlords in England to check that new tenants have the right to be in the UK before renting out their property. Under the new rules, landlords, including those who sub-let or take in lodgers, who fail to check a potential tenant’s ‘Right to Rent’ will face penalties of up to £3,000 per tenant. But Right to Rent, which was introduced in the Immigration Act 2014 as part of the Government’s reforms ‘to build a fairer and more effective immigration system’, has been criticised after it was revealed that most landlords are still not prepared for the new legislation. “There has been an influx of new legislation relating to the rental market made in recent years and we know that UK landlords are struggling to keep on top of these changes. Despite knowing many of the basics, many find it difficult to navigate the minefield of changing renting rights and wrongs and this is particularly so for accidental landlords,”…