Tougher penalties to Landlords for letting to illegal immigrants

In a bid to check illegal immigration, Arizona State in USA is proposing tougher penalties on landlords for letting their accommodation to illegal immigrants. To put this move into action, a House panel approved legislation Wednesday night that would make illegal immigrants getting decent accommodation a bit tougher.

Under the proposed amendment, it would be illegal for landlords to rent to those who do not present certain documents that prove their right to live in United States. The act proposes steep fine of upto $250 a day for the landlords.

Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, has agreed to make some changes designed to overcome objections by landlords and real estate agents. The proposed changes would provide a list of 12 acceptable documents that a landlord or realtor need to insist upon to verify the genuineness of tenant. These documents include state driver’s license, birth certificate, U.S. visa issued to foreign visitors among others.

It also provides immunity from lawsuit for any landlord who refuses to rent to someone not here legally. The legislation would make US visit less friendly to people who intend to go underground after expiry of their visa period.

However some concerns still are to be addresses, such as the how long would landlords have to keep copies of the accepted documents from each tenant on file in the office, and concerns about identity theft. Some landlords have also expressed apprehension of possibility of a lawsuit where a landlord refuses to rent to someone based on questions about the veracity of a document, but later on the person turns out to be living legally in the country.