What is the Right to Rent check and why do we need to do it?

The UK Right to Rent is a scheme that requires landlords and letting agents in England to check the immigration status of all prospective tenants before they rent out a property. The aim of the scheme is to promote higher standards of tenancies in the UK rental sector by reducing the possibility of individuals renting properties illegally.

Who has the right to rent in the UK?

The following people have the right to rent in the UK:

British citizens
Irish citizens
EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status
People with a valid visa
People who have been granted permission to stay in the UK by the Home Office

Anyone outside of these groups will need to present us with evidence of their right to rent in the UK, in person.

How do we, as letting agents, check a tenant's right to rent?

Letting agents can check a tenant's right to rent in a number of ways, primarily we need to:

Check the tenant's passport and national identity card
Checking the tenant's share code

Additionally, we can also support the check by also:

Checking the tenant's biometric residence permit or card

What happens if a landlord or letting agent fails to check a tenant's right to rent?

It is important for letting agents comply with the right to rent checks. Failure to do so could result in significant financial penalties and damage to their reputation.

What are the benefits of the UK Right to Rent?

The UK Right to Rent scheme is designed to benefit a number of people, including:

Landlords: The scheme can help landlords to avoid the risk of renting to illegal tenants.
Tenants: The scheme can help tenants to be sure that they are renting from a legitimate agent and/or landlord.
The public: The scheme can help to reduce the number of people living and working in the UK illegally.

For more information on the UK Right to Rent, please visit the GOV.UK website.

Posted By

Ollie Potten