Right to Rent - The Secretary of State for the Home Department -v- The Joint Council for The Welfare of Immigrants

April 21st, the Government won its appeal against appeal the removal of Right to Rent, which means the scheme will stay in place. Appeal Court Justices Davis, Henderson and Hickinbottom agreed that the scheme was discriminatory, but found that it did not violate human rights legislation.  The Court of Appeal  therefore, ruled in favour of the government’s controversial Right To Rent scheme, overturning a decision reached last year by the High Court.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants was the main organisation behind the original High Court case and in early 2019 the High Court found that the Right To Rent legislation was unlawful and racially discriminatory because it allegedly caused agents and landlords to discriminate against British citizens with ethnic minorities and against foreign nationals.

The decision has been welcomedby  immigration minister Chris Philp, who said: “As we have made clear throughout, the scheme ensures that only those with a legal right to be in the UK are able to access benefits and services, and discourages people from entering the country unlawfully. This is also a question of fairness to UK citizens and the many people who come to the UK legally who all need to access housing.”