Your minds may be awash with all things Christmas, but
post-festivities, one of the biggest things that will be on landlords' minds
will be ensuring that they are ready for the Right to Rent scheme.
Part of the Immigration Act 2014, the Right to Rent scheme –
which requires landlords or their agents to check the immigration status of
prospective tenants – was originally implemented across the West Midlands.
After this initial pilot project, the government announced
in October that the scheme will be rolled out nationwide, meaning landlords in
southern UK locations such as Portsmouth and Southampton, which estate and
letting agent Chimneypots Estate Agents operate in, will have to
comply.
Right to Rent requires landlords or their letting agents to check the immigration status of any adult who is
about to or is currently living in one of the landlord’s rental properties.
The purpose of the scheme is to ensure that all tenants are
authorised to rent in the UK. Ways of checking the tenants vary, but a
passport, birth certificate or an identity card are likely to be the most
common identification documents used.
This new law is set to come into force on February 1st,
and applies to all residential tenancies. It’s important for landlords to be
aware not only of the adults living in the property, but to be wary of any
children who could be about to turn 18 and therefore become classed as an adult
living in the property.
At the moment, February 1st may
seem way off. However, landlords are being advised that checks begin to be completed 28 days before the February
deadline to allow for any hiccups.
Therefore, ensuring you implement the checks into your
routine within good time should be your number one New Year's resolution.
Getting the right documents and making sure that they are verified and that you
have copies takes time, so get cracking!
Failure to complete these crucial checks won’t just lead to
a slap on the wrist, either. There will be serious consequences for landlords
that don’t comply. Any offending landlords could receive a fine of up to £3,000
per illegal tenant living in their property. For repeat offenders, criminal
action may also be taken.
When letting a property is done well, it’s a highly
profitable venture; so ensure you don’t lose out by failing to complete these
checks accurately.
A lot of responsibility now lies with landlords, and if this
sounds like a lot of extra work then don’t fear. Landlords are able to hand the
responsibility of the Right to Rent checks over to their local letting agent
such as Chimneypots.
If this is something that interests you, it’s crucial that a
written agreement is constructed between the two parties so that the area of
responsibility is crystal clear.
At Chimneypots, we’re a team of property experts who are
skilled in obtaining this kind of data quickly and accurately. If you would
like us to take charge of this part of the rental process, then get in touch with us today.
If you have any questions regarding any part of the letting
process, then we’re also on-hand to help.
We also offer landlords the chance to find out just how much
rent they could earn from their property with our free instant online valuation, try it today!
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