Fines for landlords who rent properties to illegal migrants more than triple to £20,000 under new government legislation that comes into force today.
Penalties for landlords will increase from £80 per lodger and £1,000 per occupier for a first breach to up to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier, under updated Home Office Right to Rent rules.
Repeat breaches will be levied at up to £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier, up from £500 and £3,000, respectively.
The higher penalties go live today, after fines were first introduced for these offences in 2014.
“All landlords in England have a responsibility to prevent those without lawful immigration status from accessing the private rented sector”, according to the Home Office’s latest landlord’s guide to Right to Rent checks released this week.
It adds: “You do this by conducting Right to Rent checks on all prospective adult tenants before the start date of a tenancy agreement, to make sure the person is not disqualified from renting a property by reason of their immigration status.”
Goodlord director of growth Costas Frangeskou says: “From Tuesday 13 February, these huge sums mean it’s absolutely vital that landlords and letting agents stay vigilant and ensure they have all the processes in place to make sure their adult tenants have the Right to Rent.”Vouch head of customer success Lauren Hughes adds: “For those that avoid or put off implementing measures that will ensure compliance, it’s a sure-fire way to land yourself in hot water later down the line.
“Agents should be making sure their landlords are covered and that their processes aren’t set up to fail.
“With the advent of identity document validation technologies, which the government approved use of in 2022, it’s now much easier to stay compliant.
“The flip side is that agents who fall foul of the rules will struggle to explain why.”
