A year after the ‘Right to Rent’ scheme was implemented in England, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) has published its report ‘Passport Please’.

What is the right to rent?

The policy came into force in England on 1 February 2016. It requires landlords or their agents to conduct checks to ensure new tenants have the right to reside in the UK before signing a new tenancy agreement. There is not at present, any clear timescale for its implementation in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland although the Home Office appears keen to press on with nationwide implementation.

What are the concerns?

The JCWI report (based on a mixture of survey work, mystery shopping enquiries and freedom of information requests) found that:

• 52% of landlords surveyed said that the scheme would make them less likely to consider letting to foreign nationals.

• 42% of landlords said that they were less likely to rent to someone without a British passport, as a result of the scheme.

ARLA Raises Concerns Ahead of Nationwide Rollout

Ahead of the government’s roll-out of Right to Rent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ARLA Propertymark representatives have met with Home Office officials to discuss their concerns.

Andrew Scott, Vice President of Global Account Management with Dwellworks said: “We will be watching for news of the Right to Rent Scheme rolling-out to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with interest and will keep our clients up to date. Last year Dwellworks successfully implemented a plan to manage the new scheme as it came into effect in England. We are well-prepared to do the same as it rolls out nationwide, especially where it affects smaller, independent agents who have less experience of corporate lettings than some of their bigger competitors.”