Renting in the Hostile Environment

Shelter is a fundamental human need, and housing should be accessible to all in society – it is such common sense that it seems strange to even need to say it. Yet through the Hostile Environment, this government has turned English landlords into immigration authorities (despite the average landlord having exactly zero legal qualifications), imposing huge – unaffordable – fines, along with the threat of imprisonment, on anybody who rents to someone without valid immigration status.

As a result 25% of landlords simply refused to rent to anyone without citizenship when the Hostile Environment policy was first implemented. This is clearly discriminatory and has led to multiple lawsuits. Further issues arise for people renewing the visas, long Home Office decision times mean that they are unable to demonstrate their valid leave to remain and right to rent while they wait.

This means that even people with permanent residency, not to mention newer arrivals, have a harder time finding housing in England than do British citizens. This also puts migrants at a higher risk of becoming homeless; as per the latest figures, 38% of the homeless population are non-citizens, despite only making up approximately 14% of the overall population.

This policy has led to discrimination against British citizens as well. Indeed, the Right to Rent schemes required by the government in England have been found to be illegal by the courts in part due to discrimination against non-white British citizens who are wrongly thought to be immigrants by landlords and leasing agencies.

Like migrants, ethnic minorities are more likely to end up homeless than the white citizenry, especially black residents. As of 2020, in England black people make up 11% of the homeless population despite being only 3% of the overall population. During the same period, ethnic minorities in general made up 24% of all homeless applications to local councils despite only making up 11% of the English population. A significant proportion of homeless rough sleepers are non-UK nationals, and in London most street homeless people were not born in the UK.

It doen’t need to be like this, the Right to Rent scheme has only been implemented in England, as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have rightly and successfully ensured migrants living there are not discriminated against and put at greater risk of homelessness.

Discrimination in housing and other areas of society have a large and clear impact on life outcomes for marginalised populations and must be ended. The Hostile Environment does not only impact housing but encourages discrimination, and must be abolished.