Landlord rent checks could cause ‘everyday racism’, Labour warns

The ability of agents or landlords to evict illegal migrants without requiring a court possession order could breach human rights protections if families with children are made destitute as a result of becoming homeless in this way.

Turner said landlords are not trained immigration officials and could potentially commit one of two separate offences if they put a foot wrong.

In his conference speech last week, David Cameron said it was “disgraceful” that young job-seekers with “white-sounding names” on their CVs received better responses than other applicants.

Andy Burnham said the Government’s plans – outlined in the Immigration Bill which will be debated on Tuesday – could make Britain’s housing market a “hostile environment for tenants with foreign-sounding names”.

‘In practice, it could end up making Britain a more hostile place for anyone with a foreign-sounding name – worsening the very problem that Cameron said he wanted to challenge’.

Burnham added: “It seeks to propagate immigration myths rather than slay them and, like her speech, owes more to headline-chasing rhetoric rather than clear, hard evidence”.

Specialist lender Commercial Trust has warned that landlords who fail to carry out checks face the “unnerving” prospect of a possible prison sentence.

“But the new document checks could become the modern equivalent of the “no dogs, no blacks, no Irish” signs and, by being more insidious, such casual discrimination will be far harder to challenge”, he wrote.

In the second reading of the Immigration Bill, Theresa May, the home secretary, told MPs that if the United Kingdom is to continue building an immigration system that is “fair to British citizens and people who come here legitimately and play by the rules we must ensure it is balanced, sustainable and that net migration can be managed”.

Andrew Turner, director, Commercial Trust, said: “The Immigration Bill wrongly pushes front line immigration checks onto landlords”.

According to Home Office Minister James Brokenshire: “Anyone who thinks the United Kingdom is a soft touch should be in no doubt – if you are here illegally, we will take action to stop you from working, renting a flat, opening a bank account or driving a auto”.

In a letter to Labour MPs, he said the party should vote against the legislation if its reasoned amendment is not accepted.

It will be a criminal offence for landlords to rent to illegal immigrants under the new Immigration Bill, pushing homeowners to carry out extra checks on tenants’ passports and visas. The Home Office insisted the West Midlands was chosen because of its diverse housing stock, and not because of its high immigrant population.