{"id":4733,"date":"2018-05-08T09:06:47","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T09:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.withcreative.co.uk\/lforl\/?p=4733"},"modified":"2018-05-08T09:06:47","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T09:06:47","slug":"right-to-rent-and-the-windrush-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.withcreative.co.uk\/lforl\/right-to-rent-and-the-windrush-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Right to Rent and the Windrush Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting, but not particularly helpful, to suggest that sooner or later a big problem with Right to Rent checks was bound to arise. If we wanted a better example of why the scheme is flawed than the recent Windrush debacle, we would be hard-pressed to find one. That might sound flippant in the face of the unnecessary suffering that\u2019s occurred \u2013 the threatened deportations, the loss of employment, the difficulties getting treatment from the NHS \u2013 but it\u2019s not meant to be. We know there\u2019s a human cost to this mess.<\/p>\n

Whether, in the end, it\u2019s a case of negligence, short-sightedness, administrative errors or apathy, time will tell, but it\u2019s clear that under the Right to Rent checks, having the necessary paperwork has suddenly become critical. No matter that you might have lived here, worked here and contributed to the UK\u2019s economy for decades, if you can\u2019t prove it with a passport or citizenship status, you could be in a lot of trouble.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s worrying for landlords \u2013 because who wants to wade into this mess. When landlords are faced with fines for renting to people without the appropriate documentation, what are they to do? We are not immigration officers. We do not have extensive knowledge of the history of migration of Commonwealth citizens and of promises made in the past. We don\u2019t know who we can trust and who we can\u2019t. We\u2019re just trying to be landlords.<\/p>\n

The Home Office has rushed to issue new guidance, recognising the need to distinguish between the Commonwealth citizens who have lived in the UK most of their lives and illegal immigrants with no right to remain. Although it sounds reasonably clear, the inclusion with the guidance of special helpline numbers and the establishment of a specialist \u2018Commonwealth task force\u2019 suggests the practicalities aren\u2019t so straightforward. In the case of Commonwealth citizens, here\u2019s what landlords need to know:<\/p>\n