Landlords: what you need to know about changes to Right to Rent

Some changes to Right to Rent checks came into force on the 1st July 2021, and all landlords should really be aware.

What is Right to Rent?

Landlords in the UK have to check the legal right of anyone over the age of 18 living in their property. It doesn't matter whether it's a house, a shared flat, or a HMO - the tenant needs to provide evidence of their right to rent in the UK. Landlords don't have to do this themselves, their management or lettings agent is able to conduct these checks on their behalf.

If Right to Rent guidance is not followed, landlords could be facing a fine of up to £3000 per person living in the property.

What are the changes?

Previously, landlords were required to check nationality of the tenant, but as of 1st July they are now required to check every tenant's immigration status. This means that instead of providing national identification, the proof tenants need to provide should show their immigration status.

This also applies to anyone in the EEA (European Economic Area), EU countries and Swiss nationals.

What constitutes proof of immigration status?

Tenants can share their immigraion status digitally, using the Home Office Right to Rent service. This involves providing a share code and date of birth which can be input into the system, which then tells Landlords or agents whether the prospective tenant's status is 'unlimited' or 'time limited' with regards to remaining in England.

Downloadable guidance

The UK government website has a great downloadable resource which contains lots of useful information with regards to document checks, gives examples of acceptable documents to determine immigration status, and also answers lots of frequently asked questions.

You can download your copy to learn more about checking documents, keeping evicdence, and the process when there are no standard identity documents available by clicking here.

If you're interested in reducing your admin burden by getting your property managed, you can visit our landlords fees page where you can take a look at the services we provide, as well as downloading our fees guide.