UK cracks down on illegal immigrants living as tenants

LONDON: Landlords will be expected to evict tenants who lose the right to live in England under new UK government measures to crack down on illegal immigration.

They will be able to end tenancies, sometimes without a court order, when asylum requests fail and will also be required to check a migrant's status in advance of agreeing a lease. Repeat offenders could face up to five years in prison.

"The government will crack down on rogue landlords who make money out of illegal immigration," said UK communities minister Greg Clark.

"We will also require them to meet their basic responsibilities as landlords, cracking down on those who rent out dangerous, dirty and overcrowded properties," he said.

The proposals - to be be included in the upcoming Immigration Bill - come as the British and French governments struggle to deal with a migrant crisis in France's Calais town where large numbers of people are making nightly bids to cross the English Channel to reach the UK.

Under the proposals for landlords in England, the UK Home Office would issue a notice when an asylum application fails that confirms the tenant no longer has the right to rent property.

This will trigger a power for landlords to end the tenancy, without a court order in some circumstances.

Landlords will also be required to carry out "right to rent" checks on each tenant's immigration status before allowing them to move in.

Financial support for failed asylum seekers will also end under the new plans.

Some 10,000 asylum seekers each currently continue to receive a taxpayer-funded allowance of 36 pounds a week despite their applications having been rejected, because they are living in the UK with their families.