Right To Rent penalties soar from today - up to £20,000 fine
Fines for agents and landlords who breach Right To Rent rules increase today from £80 per lodger and £1,000 per occupier for a first breach. to as much as £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier.
Repeat breaches will be up to £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier, up from £500 and £3,000.
In theory, repeated failure to check a tenant’s Right To Rent could also mean a prison sentence.
Legal guidance from law company Field Seymour Parkes says prospective tenants will fall into three broad categories dependant on their immigration status:
Unlimited right to rent: British citizens, Irish citizens and people who have the right of abode in the UK, which includes those who have been granted settlement (also known as “indefinite leave to remain”), those granted settled status via the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) or individuals who have no time limit on their permission to stay in the UK;
Time-limited right to rent: Individuals with pre-settled status under the EUSS, Asylum seekers and other individuals who are in the UK lawfully but who have time restrictions on their right to remain in the UK; and
No right to rent: Individuals who have leave to be in the UK but with restrictions which prevent them from occupying premises, and individuals who have no leave to be in the UK.
