Some 43% of landlords are not confident about making the checks that will be required by the legislation, while 30% said they are optimistic that they will cope with the new checks, according to the research by the Online Letting Agents.
When it comes to selecting new tenants, nearly half of landlords say they will be much more wary taking on tenants that they think might be immigrants.
Despite reassurances that landlords will not be responsible for illegal ‘ghost’ tenants that are living in their property, 11% of landlords are still worried that they will be responsible for any illegal tenants subletting.
‘The new legislation will be a big burden on both letting agents and landlords and there is no way around it. The industry needs to take these changes seriously as landlords and agents will face heavy fines if they fall foul of the law,’ said Eleanor Carroll, director of the Online Letting Agents.
‘Landlords and agents will need all the help they can get to integrate the new checks and validations into their overall tenant application process. Not surprisingly, there are a number of companies now offering immigration checking services,’ she pointed out.
She explained that if agents and landlords make the initial immigration checks part of the referencing process and then carry out ongoing checks on visa status, they will be compliant with the law.
‘The danger is that agents and landlords will refuse potential tenants if they believe them to be immigrants. This could lead to a housing shortage for a growing segment of the population,’ said Carroll.
‘There are a number of referencing agencies, such as Legal 4 Landlords, that are preparing for the new legislation. Landlords and agents will be well supported by the industry, as immigration checks become a standard as part of the referencing procedure,’ she added.
