"Immigration raid 2:45 am today on my rental property"
A woman has shared footage showing what she described as an immigration raid at her rental property, warning that landlords face £5,000 fines if they breach Right to Rent rules.
Rajni Syal, who posted the video on her TikTok, said the incident happened at around 2:45 am in West Bromwich.
According to the video, she said she was contacted by her tenant to tell her that an immigration raid was taking place at the property.
The footage featured Rajni walking near the property, while two police cars were parked outside.
Outside the property, Rajni was heard speaking to an officer, saying she doesn’t believe them.
She then asks: “Have you been inside yet? Have you been inside yet? Yeah. Have you been inside yet?”
It is reported that police raided the property over tenants that allegedly did not have the right to rent.
In the caption, Rajni said: “Immigration raid 2:45 am today on my rental property in West Bromwich.
“I check all my tenants’ paperwork for RIGHT TO RENT.
“Guys, be careful; it’s £5000 fine per ilegal imigrant caught in your property! NOT WORTH THE STRESS!”
The video sparked a discussion in the comments section over illegal tenants.
One person commented: “If you have unverified tenants, especially illegal tenants who aren’t supposed to be in the country, the landlord will be prosecuted and likely get 10k fine for each person who is illegal.”
Rajni replied: “True. I do proper checks on all my tenants on the gov website RIGHT TO RENT.
“Reason I made the video was an alert for all households keeping illegal people. We do feel sorry for them but you’ve got to think: are they worth £10k fine each?”
@rajnisyal10 Imigration raid 2.45am today on my rental property in West Bromwich. I check all my Tennant paperwork for RIGHT TO RENT. Guy be careful it’s £5000 fine per ilegal imigrant caught in your property! NOT WORTH THE STRESS! #fyp #viral #pageforyou #yourpage #onthisday @Nikis Cosmetics Ltd ? original sound – Rajni
She also revealed there have been seven immigration raids on her properties:
“I’ve had about 7 immigration raids on my properties. But they won’t find anyone without paperwork.
“Last year they forced entry and broke all doors. Being a landlord is hard work!”
In the UK, landlords could be fined or imprisoned for five years for renting property in England to someone who you knew or had ‘reasonable cause to believe’ did not have the right to rent in the UK.
This includes if you had any reason to believe that:
- they did not have leave (permission) to enter or stay in the UK.
- their leave had expired.
- their papers were incorrect or false.
You can also be fined if both of the following apply:
- you rent your property to someone who is not allowed to stay in the UK.
- you cannot show that you checked their right to rent.
Landlords may get a ‘referral notice’ to let them know their case is being investigated and that they could get a fine (‘civil penalty’).
They will be sent an ‘information request’ to allow them to provide evidence that they’ve carried out the check.
After the case has been considered, they will be sent either:
- a ‘no action’ notice
- a civil penalty notice with the amount you have to pay
Agents and landlords who knowingly rent properties to non-checked immigrations will face fines of up to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier for a first breach.
Repeat breaches could cost them up to £10,000 per lodger and a maximum of £20,000 per occupier.
