9 AUGUST 2023
Illegal migrants media appearance
Property Partner Gary Scott has been widely quoted in the property trade press on the Home Office decision to increase fines on landlords for renting properties to illegal immigrants.
This follows the news that fines are to be more than tripled for employers and landlords who allow illegal migrants to work for them or rent their properties.
Gary points out that this is an inappropriate extension of landlords’ responsibilities:
“This announcement is a further nail in the coffin for amateur landlords. The expectation seems to be that landlords should somehow become a branch of the Border Force.”
He goes on to say that the huge increase in the penalties, “by 1000%, up to £10,000 per occupier for a first infringement of these rules” will harm the market, as it will be “likely to frighten off many good landlords,” bringing them to the “territory of potential bankruptcy.”
Gary concludes: “Landlords… are not equipped or trained to carry out the role of a Border Force agent.”
Read the article in Property Notify (the article was the Spotlight feature for this publication)
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