Letting agents were secretly filmed by the BBC accepting fake IDs from tenants, with innocent firms said to be “easily duped” into thinking that the paperwork was authentic.
Last night’s Inside Out London exposed how Right to Rent rules have created a black market in forgeries that helps undocumented immigrants flout the law.
The programme said criminal gangs are faking paperwork including passports, National Insurance cards and residence permits, selling them for up to £500.
A BBC undercover reporter, Zack Adesina, used a hidden camera to record deals with the fraudsters.
The forged IDs were then presented to letting agents, who seemingly accepted them without question as proof of a tenant’s Right to Rent, the BBC reported yesterday.
Last night’s programme showed one agent,un-named, appearing to accept the paperwork.
Adesina said that the counterfeit passports he saw and acquired were “remarkably convincing” with some even featuring mock biometric imprints.
However, they would not pass close inspection, for example at airport controls.
Landlords – and agents fulfilling the Right to Rent obligations on their behalf – face criminal sanctions of up to five years in prison and unlimited fines if they are found letting to someone who does not have the right to live in the UK.
Housing specialist David Smith, of law firm Anthony Gold, said: “They do not have the knowledge or skills to do the job properly.
“I’ve never met a landlord who can tell a valid Lichtenstein passport from a forgery.”
Comments (17)
There are several separate issues here including Forged ID documents, illegal immigration and organised crime. Complacency in the workplace isn’t a crime and neither is an agent not being educated in the matter of knowing forged docs.
I’ve always questioned why the estate agents are attracting so much attention over any other service industry business but then it dawned on me. It’s so obvious.
This kind of media reporting really grinds my gears. We have to check documents in case there is anything suspect about them. We HAVE to accept it so not to ‘tip off’ the person who’s given us the document, and then go through the drama of reporting it to the Home Office without their knowledge. On the other hand, you have these undercover goons trying to make it look like we’re careless criminals ourselves by telling the world we’re accepting forgeries without asking questions. Anyone else feel like putting their face through their desk sometimes?
This just highlights once again why it is an absolutely pointless exercise asking Estate Agents, sales or lettings, to check peoples Id etc. We aren’t trained professionals in spotting fake ID’s, we just sell/let properties. Why put the onus on us to do a job such as this that requires a high degree of knowledge and expertise to spot the very well done fake documents? And why then hammer an agent who doesn’t spot a fake document, especially when it is a particularly good one? Absolutely ridiculous and always has been asking an agent to do these checks.
How are we supposed to know if a passport is fake? I look to see if the page is sealed all the way round, and type the long number in to rent4sure’s checking system and match the information. I’m still not sure how I am supposed to know if they have the right to rent in the country! Is there a database of passports of people who can, and if it doesn’t match then they send me a message/flag the reference as declined? And what do I do then? Call the police who are so overworked they will have to ask me to hold them at the office or drive them to the police station?
It’s ridiculous. Our job is to market and rent property, following the guidelines to protect both Landlord and Tenant. If I wanted to deal with immigration and border control then I would have gone into that career path!
You would be lucky to get the police to respond to anything less than a murder.!
Triple murders where I work, Will…
‘And what do I do then? Call the police who are so overworked they will have to ask me to hold them at the office or drive them to the police station?’
I can answer that Country Lass – the same question was raised at a NALS conference where they had a representative from the Home Office lecturing us on what our new found role was – his reply – we do nothing!
Immediately of course this has opened the doors wide for dodgy unscrupulous crooks calling themselves ‘agents’ who see an opportunity to make huge amounts from this ridiculous bit of naive policy making.
Another 3 card trick by the Government, pretending they are actually doing something, but in reality just shifting responsibility.
What next from The Government?
Estate/Letting Agents to be School Crossing Patrol Wardens in their area?
You heard it here first!
If the Government were no so stupid there would be a good opportunity here. If they (the Government) were to deal with things sensibly they could check the documents presented to agents/landlords for authenticity (once a tenancy has been granted) and if found to be forged they would have the whereabouts of criminals who use forged documents. They should then arrest those using forged documents and it should be mandatory and instant removal from the country, as these individuals are the criminals. Perhaps life sentence for any UK citizen forgers or mandatory and removal if not UK passport holders. This would certainly help reduce the scrum that preys on the innocent and law abiding citizens. OK might be a little extreme but then you should not ask the lay public to do immigration checks.
Mind you the Government would not know the truth if it was to bite them. James Brokenshire told me that these immigration checks would not attract criminal penalties and would be light touch legislation. Mind you we were also told the Dartford (QE) Bridge would be free (toll free) once paid for. The only safe way of thinking if they are a politician, first assume they will not tell you the truth!
Oh, London again! Do any journalists ever leave the city? That said it only goes to show how little gov knows about the real world. Just wait for when the fee ban kicks in and agents start cutting corners and landlords do it themselves to save a few quid!
Spot on. I`m afraid we are heading for anarchy in the rental market.
Another attack on the honest letting agent going about his day to day duties, I wonder how many private landlords check the authenticity of documents or indeed check any documents!! PSH is getting hammered with additional tax, banning of tenant fees and border control responsibilities, it seems the government want to destroy the lettings industry and have everyone live on the streets including landlords and agents!
I agree with everything said so far – it also begs the question why film the agent doing his or her job in a professional manner. If the journalist himself considers the fakes to be “remarkably convincing” then he is clearly out to cause unnecessary trouble. Perhaps he should direct his efforts at exposing the forgers and the criminal gangs behind them – or is that too dangerous for him!!
Call me old fashioned but it used to be the criminal who used to get accussed , not the victims…. wtf is going on with this lefty world. Credit check is out main line of defence not a fake passport.
Who is the bbc protecting by doing this??? I cant watch these stupid documentaries any more… if bbc journalists were estate agents they would def. be working for the pay any way agents. More dodgy then everyone, making up rubbish to get a reaction.
Thinking of moving my business to Dover and naming it ‘Border Control Lettings’….
So the agent didn’t actually set out to do wrong? Maybe if the government did a better job stopping them enter the country agents wouldn’t have to act as border control.
Can we charge passport checking fees when tenant fees are banned? Idiotic government and more scape goating from the BBC. Let’s have another look at your gender pay gap BBC.