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Landlords reject immigration check plans
Four-fifths of landlords oppose the government’s plans to compel them to carry out immigration checks on tenants, according to a leading landlord organisation.
Only 16% of landlords surveyed by the Residential Landlords Association approved of the proposals.
RLA chairman Alan Ward said it was little wonder the landlords were so clearly opposed to the government measure: “Whilst the RLA fully supports measures to ensure everyone in the UK is legally allowed to be here, this proposal smacks of political posturing rather than a seriously thought through policy.
“For a government committed to reducing the burden of regulation it is ironic that they are now seeking to impose a significant extra burden on landlords making them scapegoats for the UK Border Agency’s failings.”
Property 118 founder Mark Alexander said 100% of landlords commenting on his forum raised concerns about the proposals.
He said landlords came to him with questions on a daily basis: “How can landlords be expected to police the sector if the border control agencies are not able to do it? What training is going to be given to landlords for them to be able to spot false passports?”
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In May, Housing minister Mark Prisk sought to allay fears by stressing legislation would be ‘light touch’ and focus on checking potential tenants’ passports.