The complexity of Government’s plans to turn landlords into border police is seeing lawful tenants being refused housing according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

The warning comes just as new research has indicated the difficulties caused by the ‘Right to Rent’ scheme, piloted in the West Midlands. Under the Government’s plans, private sector landlords are legally responsible for checking the immigration status of their tenants. Having been piloted, Government announced last month that it would be expanded nationwide, with landlords facing up to five years in prison for failure to undertake the right checks.

According to research published by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, landlords in the West Midlands are becoming increasingly cautious about renting property out to any tenant with identity documents which are not familiar, with many landlords unclear about the processes they are expected to follow.

Commenting on the research, RLA policy director, David Smith said: “Government’s plans are causing confusion and anxiety for many landlords. Faced with considerable sanctions, landlords will inevitably play it safe where a tenant’s identity documents are either unclear or simply not known to them.”