New proposals to be included in the upcoming Immigration Bill will state Landlords will be required to check a migrant's status in advance of agreeing a lease. Repeat offenders could face up to five years in prison.
Again they will be able to end tenancies, sometimes without a court order, when asylum requests fail, ministers say.
Measures will also be introduced to crack down on landlords who exploit vulnerable migrants by renting out unfit flats and houses.
Communities Secretary Greg Clark said the government would crack down on "rogue landlords who make money out of illegal immigration".
Under the proposals for landlords in England, the 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.
Repeatedly failing to do either would be a new offence carrying maximum penalties of five years' imprisonment or a fine.
This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.
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