Immigrants who look for rental accommodation in the UK but who have only a 30-day visa do have a right to rent, the Home Office has said.
Minister James Brokenshire was giving a parliamentary answer to MP Jeremy Corbyn, who asked about non-EEA residents trying to rent, who have entered the UK on temporary documents and are waiting for a biometric residence permit.
Brokenshire said: “People issued with a 30-day visa to enter the UK in advance of collecting their biometric residence permit will be able to evidence their right to rent using their short-term visa, and the landlord will then need to conduct a follow-up check after 12 months, at which point the migrant will be able to evidence any continued lawful immigration status using their biometric residence permit.”
In another part of his reply, Brokenshire gave no hint as to when the current ‘right to rent’ pilot scheme will be rolled out nationally.
He said: “People with no right to be in the UK should not be able to rent homes and place people who are here legally at a disadvantage.
“That is why the Immigration Act 2014 introduced landlords’ right to rent checks. The first phase of the landlords’ scheme, which was launched in the Cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Sandwell, Dudley, and Walsall on 1 December 2014, is currently being evaluated.
“The regulations enable migrants to demonstrate evidence of their right to rent a property using a range of specified documentation, and the Home Office is providing a responsive checking service for landlords to confirm a person’s right to rent where the individual has an outstanding immigration application or appeal.”
Ermmmm… My head hurts.
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Most landlords favour long term tenancies. The uncertainty of renewed visas/residence permits 12 months down the line may well deter many landlords from renting to this sector. Agents too.
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There is an awful lot of confusion in the market place regarding the ‘Right to Rent’ checks. Basically the agent must be able to confirm that a prospective tenant has the right to tent and then conduct a follow up check, not in 12 months, but when the right to rent is expiring. There are several issues here – nobody understands what does or does not give the right to rent, many of us would not have any idea what a Visa would look like and it is difficult to expect agents to know whether documents are genuine or not. Add to this yet another administration process for agents who must diarise to re-check tenants at the point of Visa expiry. We have a specialist team who understand the legislation and know how to validate the Right to Rent for rental applicants. We advise agents on the suitable documents, we run specialist checks to ensure they are genuine and valid, we remind agents when the Right to Rent is expiring and we take responsibility for any fine imposed where an applicant has passed our Global reference. Call Jo, Georgia or Laura for more information. 01244 421261
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