Landlords to face jail for renting to illegals
ROGUE landlords who fail to check whether they are renting flats to illegal immigrants could face five years in jail.
The ministerial announcement is designed to make it harder for anyone without the right to live in this country to rent a home.
It comes a day after ministers pledged a consultation on stripping financial support from the families of migrants who fail in their applications for asylum. Immigration minister James Brokenshire said the rules needed to be changed to show migrants that Britain was not the ‘land of milk and honey’.
But the interventions merely added to fears that the Government was responding to the crisis by making announcements to give the impression they are on top of the situation. Both policies were being worked on before the Calais crisis escalated last week.
David Cameron faced ridicule last week when he emerged from a Cobra meeting to discuss the Calais crisis – but came out with nothing more than a promise to send more sniffer dogs and fencing panels to France.
Today, Communities Secretary Greg Clark will pledge changes to legislation to bear down on the unscrupulous landlords who exploit the most vulnerable.
He will say landlords and agents will be required to conduct ‘right to rent’ checks on their tenants’ immigration status before offering them a tenancy agreement.
There will be a new criminal offence for those who repeatedly fail to conduct these checks, or fail to take steps to remove illegal immigrants from their property. These landlords may face a fine, up to five years’ imprisonment and further sanctions under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The new measures will also enable landlords to evict immigrant tenants as soon as they lose their right to live in the country.
The Home Office will issue a notice confirming tenants no longer have the right to rent property. This will trigger a power for landlords to end the tenancy, without a court order in some circumstances. Mr Clark said: ‘We are determined to crack down on rogue landlords who make money out of illegal immigration – exploiting vulnerable people and undermining our immigration system.’
Ministers said they will also consult on plans to strip failed asylum-seeker families of their right to benefits in an attempt to make Britain less attractive for migrants.
Families are entitled to receive support after their asylum claims are turned down. About 10,000 parents and children receive £36.95 each a week on an ‘Azure’ card, which can be used to purchase essentials until they are sent home.
Under the changes, which will not be voted on by MPs until the autumn,
‘Not the land of milk and honey’
the rules for asylum seekers with children will be brought into line with those for childless people, who have no automatic right to benefits if their application fails.
Tory MP Tim Loughton said: ‘These announcements are going in the right direction – but they could have been done earlier.
‘Many people will be surprised that failed asylum seekers are getting any support at the moment.
‘All these announcements will act as a further deterrent, but it is clearly not a sufficient deterrent.’
The Refugee Council voiced ‘grave concerns’ about the ‘morally reprehensible’ proposals to withdraw financial support from families.
A council spokesman said: ‘This harsh proposal seems to be based on the flawed logic that making families destitute will coerce them into going home.’