Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ngham-30251741

I'm just wondering how many of the landlords are themselves legal and/or operate within the law. Can't say I like the idea of handing my passport over to some landlord somewhere to copy.

Of course if we had anything like a credible immigration system it wouldn't be down to landlords and employers (dubious or not) to do HMG's job.

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

Sounds like the Nazi party (circa 1920 onwards) would do well in the next election in the UK!
Totally nasty propaganda seems to widespread in the UK in recent times.

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

Will these landlords also have to check in their sheds?

I suspect a lot of landlords are not registered and not paying tax, so how will they be found in the first place?

Plus will landlords openly return information for purposely-overfull accommodation?

£3k fine? I'd rather see £100k or more!

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

I invoke Godwins Law. :D

IIRC wasn't it Croydon that was using Google satellite images to identify sheds being used as accommodation?

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

Too true. Rogue landlords are everywhere and if they choose not to abide by existing laws re. tax, planning, health & safety etc. etc. I can't see them bothering with any of this. It comes to something when our immigration system is so broken that people who're already behaving illegally are potentially being relied upon for its enforcement...

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

Wouldn't it have made more sense to ask police helicopters when doing their heat-sweep for drug growing to share information?

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

When I rented my first gaff in Leicester 4 years ago the landlord asked for proof of residency in the UK, I thought nothing of it. He said if it turned out I was in the country illegally he could have been prosecuted for either potentially knowing about it and turning a blind eye or some kind of 'aiding and abetting' type charge.

So if they're doing it just to cover their own backsides then it doesn't seem to be too much of a bad thing.

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

I Agree this is a problem with landlords not being registered for tax purposes and it would be hard to enforce a law stating they must be registered.

My Sons ex boyfriends parents were loaded and it turned out they were renting houses including student accommodations in Cardiff and only had the accommodations registered on the oldest sons name and not their own name for tax purposes. They were caught and had to pay back 5 years of tax.

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

How much do you think the average landlord makes :erm:

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

Makes or declares? ;)

There are, of course, some extremely wealthy, exploitative and unpleasant landlords out there for whom a fine of a few grand would be meaningless and yes there are many decent and honest ones for whom it'd be a lot more serious. The richer they are, the less the fines affect them. Maybe what's required is proportional fines...

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

I know one who rents out 2 properties at over £1000pcm each, and he has never paid a penny towards the mortgages... the DWP has been doing that via Housing Benefit.

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

So he is in fact paying lots of pennies towards his mortgage and if the DWP is paying the rent then he will be paying tax on the income of those properties

---------- Post added at 16:49 ---------- Previous post was at 16:45 ----------

Exactly , perhaps based on the value of the landlords portfolio .

Having said that I don't see that identifying illegal immigrants is anything to do with landlords ,perhaps they should bill HMG for providing that service

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

He has NEVER paid a penny towards the mortgages, both houses have been rented by large unemployed families since he first got the mortgages. At least 15 out of 25 years of mortgage payments all paid by Housing Benefits. Monthly rent is well above the mortgage payments, especially in recent years.

And I don't think he declares his income or is a registered landlord.

He is probably kakkin' himself today that this new rule will spread here.

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

You know him that well?

Re: Landlords to check ID & citizenship
 

Unfortunately Igni, that implies joined up government. :(