17^th Apr 2019

Private landlords are saying that the Brexit shambles will cause serious problems for any EU citizen wishing to rent a home in the UK.

A trade body claims that the ongoing Brexit scenario will almost certainly mean that many landlords may not let their properties to EU citizens in the short term future. It says that the prime reason for this is due to the government not properly clarifying how the settled status scheme will actually work and be implemented successfully for all concerned.

A spokesperson said “They [landlords] do not follow every twist and turn of Brexit and it is unreasonable to assume that they are going to be able to divine the details of the settled status scheme from statements made by Theresa May or government ministers.”

Landlords face fines of up to £5,000 per tenant if they are found to be letting a property to any illegal immigrants (under the Right to Rent policy -2016).

The trade body said that 'Right to Rent' coupled with Brexit is having a "chilling effect” on the rental market.

In March the trade body, partnered by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and Liberty won a high court case against the government when the judge passed the ruling that Right to Rent breaches human rights, and is operating a scheme that encourages racial discrimination.

The trade body demands that the government must finally publish precise guidelines that are clear and concise on the Right to Rent rules. This will help ease the problem for EU citizens to find a rented home as: “Technically EU citizens have the right to rent, but some landlords will not be aware of the law. Some may not even know what countries are in the European Union.”

EU citizens do have the right to stay in the country but to do so they must apply for a settled status by December 2020 if the UK leaves with No Deal or by June 2021 if an agreement can be reached with the EU.

The trade body believes that the settled status system could be proved discriminatory as was the Right to Rent scheme.

At the hearing the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants to the judge that from its landlord survey, 51% stated they were now less likely to actually consider renting their properties to foreign nationals from outside the EU and 18% were considering not to house EU citizens.

The trade body cannot understand why the government has so far refused to give EU citizens a card providing proof for landlords of their Right to Rent.

Once again it is left up to landlords to 'accommodate' government's shortfalls as they have to go onto the Home Office website to verify EU citizens' settled status numbers.

The Home Office has said it will be shortly meeting landlords' associations this month and confirmed that it will be publishing further guidelines shortly.

Its recent statement confirming this said: “There is no change to the checks landlords are required to carry out when renting to EU citizens until the end of any transition period and they are not required to distinguish between EU citizens who were resident before exit and post-exit arrivals, nor conduct retrospective checks on anyone they have rented a property to."


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