Rogue landlords, agents and tenants will continue to operate.
Following the announcement from The Home Office that from 1st February 2016, the Right to Rent scheme will be extended across England, Wayne Treveil, CEO of Tenants Plus Ltd, who provide a property marketing and tenant lead service to the industry, declares that it will have little impact on the private rented sector, but also throws a warning to landlords and agents; “make sure it’s included as part of your comprehensive tenant reference check to ensure you’re being compliant.” Says Wayne.
He continues: “It’s debateable as to what impact the rolling out of this scheme will actually have on the private rented sector; I can’t see it having much at all. Rogue landlords, agents and tenants will continue to operate under the radar with reputable landlords and agents, who fortunately make up the majority, continuing to act in a responsible manner. It will have little or no effect on their current processes and operation with a large number of agents already seeing and copying the prospective tenant’s passport ID and if they are overseas tenants from outside the EU, checking their visa status as part of the pre-tenancy checks.
Having said that, landlords who don’t make the checks could face a hefty penalty of up to £3,000 per tenant if they are found to be renting out a property to someone who is in the UK illegally, so it’s important landlords are aware of the scheme and act accordingly. Letting agents also need to protect their landlord clients and ensure it’s in fact part of their credit check and referencing service.”
Tenants Plus use a specialist referencing provider, Van Mildert, to undertake any additional Right to Rent checks. Wayne says: “All our tenants have undergone the complete pre-tenancy Right to Rent checks prior to viewing properties with letting agents. This gives our registered agents and their landlord’s complete peace of mind that the tenants are legally permitted to rent in the UK.”
Press release sent to Estate Agent Networking from theinhouseway.co.uk
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