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Martin & Co Issue Stark Warning To Landlords Amidst Government Crackdown

Following recent Governments reports that landlords who fail to evict illegal immigrants will face up to five years in prison, a Derby based letting agency is warning landlords to conduct thorough checks on tenants.

Martin& Co Derby is in support of new laws that will allow landlords to evict illegal immigrants without a court order and stronger punishments for rogue landlords who are making money out of illegal immigration.

As the crisis in Calais continues to intensify, with thousands of migrants attempting to breach security at the Channel Tunnel every day, a new blacklist of rogue landlords is being introduced that will allow councils to keep track of who has been convicted in a bid to make it harder for illegal migrants to live in the UK.

Managing director at Martin & Co Derby, David McKnight, said: “It is always good to see tougher crackdowns on rogue landlords being introduced and we completely agree with the stronger punishments.

“Obviously this problem is currently a hot topic in the news and it is essential that more is done to stop landlords making money from illegal immigrants. Equally, it is important and good news that landlords are being given more eviction powers.”

The proposals, which will be included in the upcoming immigration bill, will include a new criminal offence of failing to conduct checks or remove tenants that have no right to reside in the UK and will carry a penalty of up to five years imprisonment.

The Home Office will be able to issue a notice confirming tenants no longer have the right to rent property, which will triggering a power for landlords to end the tenancy, without a court order.

Landlords will have a requirement carry out “right to rent” checks on tenants’ immigration status before they are able to rent the property.

Mr McKnight added: “It is vital to crackdown on rogue landlords who are breaking the law as they are exploiting vulnerable people.

“We have recently heard more about ‘bed sheds’ where rogue landlords are offering back garden spaces to tenants, which is just totally unacceptable. We cannot emphasise enough how important it is for landlords to run thorough checks before renting out their properties to potential tenants, which is why it is imperative to use a reputable letting agent.”

Martin & Co is a member of ARLA, the Association of Residential Letting Agents and follows a professional code of conduct.

For more information, please visit: http://www.martinco.com/lettings-agents/derby or contact Martin & Co Derby on 01332 291922.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Poppy-PR .