Home Office to appeal High Court Right to Rent ruling

The Minister of State for Immigration, Caroline Nokes announced the Home Office rejected the Judge’s ruling against Right to Rent and indicated the government were ready to challenge the decision through the Court of Appeal.

The Minister said: “In the meantime, the provisions passed by this House in 2014 remain in force. There are no immediate changes to the operation of the policy. Landlords and letting agents are still obliged to conduct Right to Rent checks as required in legislation.

“The law was and remains absolutely clear that discriminatory treatment on the part of anyone carrying out these checks is unlawful, and the Right to Rent legislation provides for a Code of Practice which sets out what landlords are expected to do.”

Last week a High Court said it will be illegal to roll the “Right to Rent” scheme in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland without further evaluation.

The Judge considered discrimination against non-UK nationals and British ethnic minorities was forced on landlords, because of Right to Rent and that it breached the European Convention on Human Rights.