Protect yourself against Immigration

As a property professional, it is vital to be aware of not just your employee’s immigration status but the tenant’s themselves. Managing immigration can be difficult and can prove costly if not correctly applied. That’s why we have put together some detailed information on how to monitor tenants and employees immigration status. It is vital to follow this advice to protect yourself and your business.

The Immigration Bill

The Immigration Bill received royal assent on 14th May introducing a number of new reforms. The most significant of these changes was the regulation that made it law, for property professionals to check tenant’s immigration status. This is to ensure tenants are not living in the UK illegally. If you do not check your tenant’s immigration status and you have illegal tenants, the government now has powers to deal with you. The government now suggests agents follow the advice, given to employers on immigration and illegal working.

How do I check a tenant’s immigration status?

  • A passport showing the holder, or the person named in the passport as the child of the holder.
  • A passport or national identity card showing the holder, or a person as the child of the holder, is a national of an EEA country or Switzerland.
  • A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office to a national of an EEA country or Switzerland.
  • A Biometric Residence Permit issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK. (Only valid for 10 years for over 16’s and 5 years for under 16’s)
  • A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, has the right of abode in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
  • An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office, to the holder endorsed to indicate that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK or has no time limit on their stay in the UK together with an official document issued by a previous employer or Government agency with the person’s name and National Insurance number.
  • A full birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder’s parents together with an official document issued by a previous employer or Government agency with the person’s name and National Insurance number.
  • A birth or adoption certificate issued in the Channel islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland together with an official document issued by a previous employer or Government agency with the person’s name and National Insurance number.
  • A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen together with an official document issued by a previous employer or Government agency with the person’s name and National Insurance number.
  • A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK together with an official document issued by a previous employer or Government agency with the person’s name and National Insurance number.

For more information on this documentation and how it may appear, as well as further information on how to prevent immigration, please see:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/304793/full-guide-illegal-working.pdf

The main reason for this change is to protect households around the UK from illegal immigrants. For more information on following the correct immigration procedures please see:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/249246/Factsheet_07_-_Landlords.pdf

As an agent, you are not responsible to know everything about immigration, but performing the correct procedures and being aware of immigration, is a must for any agent. We urge you to follow this advice and protect yourself before it’s too late.

Interested in our Software or Services? Give us a call FREEPHONE 0800 3280460 to find out how we can assist.

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

UK monthly property transactions for May 2025

Headline statistics from the latest transactions data include: the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 81,470, 12% lower than May 2024 and 25% higher than April 2025 the provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 80,530, 13% lower than May 2024 and…
Read More
Breaking News

Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) shows the Government has a plan

The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) held its first board meeting today (26 June 2025), where it set out a roadmap for recruiting 100,000 more construction workers a year by the end of Parliament. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) is a recognition…
Read More
Paint Stripper Tools
Estate Agent Talk

5 Strategies to Optimise Your Warehouse for Real Estate

The term fixer-upper can mean many things, from ‘slap some paint on the walls and it looks brand new’ to ‘will this building collapse if we open the front door?’ Indeed, in the dicey world of commercial property acquisition, each warehouse you buy will probably fall into both camps. Thinking about the viability of warehouses…
Read More
Breaking News

HMOs sell for up to 50% above market average

New research from Excellion Capital, the boutique debt advisory and investment firm, reveals that HMOs sell for as much as 50% above the average house price, further increasing their investment potential after it was revealed that HMOs also create rental yields of up to 12.5%. After previous research from Excellion Capital recently showed that the…
Read More
Breaking News

UK buyers struggle while 50,000 homes sit empty

As the UK housing crisis deepens, new analysis by Open Property Group exposes a worrying surge in so-called “zombie homes”- properties that sit unoccupied and deteriorating while millions struggle to access affordable housing. Key insights: 50,000+ long-term vacant homes in England alone 23,000+ of these have been empty for more than two years Estimated £13.6…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 26/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   The UK is Europe’s second most distressed market despite headline GDP growth Retail and Consumers Goods has emerged as the most distressed sector in Europe, with distress levels now the highest since the global financial crisis, according to the latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI). The…
Read More