Victory for landlords in Parliament over immigration row

Changes have been made to the controversial Immigration Bill, which will give greater protection to landlords wanting to evict illegal immigrants under Right to Rent regulations.

The changes, which were made by Members of Parliament this week, will provide protection to landlords who take steps to terminate the tenancies of tenants who are residing in the country illegally, as long as the landlord takes ‘reasonable steps in an appropriate time frame’ to terminate the tenancy.

Previously, under the rulings set out in the Right to Rent regulations, landlords who failed to ensure their tenants had the right to rent in the UK, would be liable for prosecution before having the chance to evict them. The changes give landlords more of an opportunity to correct a situation before facing immediate criminal sanctions.

The changes, were campaigned for by the Residential Landlords Association. RLA policy director David Smith said: “The RLA warmly welcomes the Government’s pragmatic changes to its Right to Rent scheme that will provide protection for good landlords from the unintended consequences of the policy. It is particularly helpful that the changes were approved by MPs without a vote, a sign of cross party support for the measure.”