The government has announced the final details of the Right to Rent changes coming in on July 1st when EU citizens will no longer have an automatic right to rent a home in the UK.
Chris Philp (pictured, above), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, told MPs that the Order required to change the law has now been laid in front of parliament, including new details of how the scheme will work.
This includes removing EU passports and identity documents from the list of approved documents non-UK citizens can use to prove their right to work here or rent a home.
After July 1st employers and landlords will be required to carry out simple checks applicable to everyone including British citizens to ensure they have lawful status before they employ someone or let a property.
Also, landlords will be held to be discriminatory if they only check people who they think are not UK citizens – all tenants must be checked regardless of their status.
Documents list
The Order also provides the following additions to the document list; an Irish passport or passport card, Frontier Worker Permit, Service Provider of Switzerland visa, and documents issued by the Crown Dependencies EU Settlement Schemes.
EU nationals were given a six-month grace period from January 1st to apply for Settled Status, although those who applied for this before the July 1st deadline will still be allowed to remain in their rented accommodation until their paperwork comes through.
After July 1st landlords will be able to check whether a tenant has the correct immigration status via the Home Office online service, which has already been used 36,000 times by landlords.
“The online services make it simpler for employers and landlords to carry out the checks, as they do not need to see or check documents,” said Philp.
“The checks can be carried out by video call, as the individual’s immigration status information is provided in real time directly from Home Office systems. The service is secure and free to use.”
EU and other foreign nationals who do not have computers can access a service that helps them complete the process manually.
Read the How to check your tenant’s right to rent.
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