Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Charity clears first legal hurdle to challenge the Tories' ‘right to rent’ policy at the High Court
A protest outside the Home Office against the government's ‘hostile environment’ policy

THE TORIES’ controversial “right to rent” policy faces a full High Court challenge after a judge ruled today that there was an arguable case that it causes landlords to discriminate against foreign nationals.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) brought a judicial review against part of the Home Office’s much-criticised “hostile environment” legislation which requires landlords to check potential tenants’ right to stay in Britain.

Research by the JCWI found that 42 per cent of landlords said they were less likely to consider renting to people without a British passport, rising to 48 per cent when they were asked to consider potential criminal penalties.

 
The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Burnham and Raynor
Rent controls / 3 August 2026
3 August 2026

CLAUDIA WEBBE argues that Burnham’s U-turn on tackling greedy landlords has let the country down 

Angela Rayner
Housing / 24 July 2026
24 July 2026

‘Rent freezes are not a way forward at the moment,’ Housing Secretary Angela Rayner says