Times of India (May 15, 2012)
LONDON: Britain has allocated £1.8 million as part of steps to
crackdown on landlords - many of them of Indian-origin - who construct
illegal extensions to their houses and rent them out to illegal
immigrants at extortionate rates in parts of London and elsewhere.
Considered hazardous with slum-like conditions, the extensions - called
'beds in sheds' - have often been in the news for the large number of
illegal immigrants who live in them in cramped conditions, particularly
in areas such as Ealing , Hounslow and Slough.
After forming a taskforce to deal with the situation earlier this
month, housing minister Grant Shapps has allocated £1.8 million to
councils in which such 'renting' takes place. The taskforce include
officials of the UK Border Agency. Reports on the 'beds in sheds' have
mostly identified the 'tenants' as Indian citizens who are in the
country illegally, and turn to landlords of Indian origin with settled
status to provide them shelter.
In the process, such 'tenants' face exploitation and are unable to
approach authorities due to their own illegal immigration status.
Shapps promised "criminal landlords trapping vulnerable people in
suburban shanty-towns will get the justice they deserve" , and said the
fund will help "tackle the problem head-on and end this growing
practice by ruthless landlords".
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