What is a Right to Rent check?
When letting property in England, there is law and legislation that must be followed to ensure a tenant can legally rent residential property in this country, one of which is the Right to Rent check.
As of 1st February 2016, Right to Rent checks must be carried out on all persons over the age of 18 prior to the start of a tenancy to ensure they can legally rent residential property in England. A Right to Rent check is when a prospective adult tenant provides, in person, their identification documents, such as a passport, to the landlord or letting agent of the property they wish to rent. Copies must then be made of these documents and the Right to Rent Check must be documented/recorded.
For British Citizens this is usually a simple process providing they have a valid UK Passport or a valid UK Driving License and an original UK Birth Certificate. For people of other nationalities, it can depend on their country of origin and their settlement status as to which documents will need to be provided to complete the Right to Rent checks.
What is expected of a landlord or agent?
- All adult tenants who will be living at the property will need to be checked whether they are named on the tenancy agreement or not.
- All adult tenants will need to provide the original documents required to prove their Right to Rent in the UK.
- Check these documents when provided in person and ensure they are valid.
- Make and keep a copy of each original document provided and required and make a record of when the check was completed.
- Follow up checks are required to be actioned as appropriate, for example when a visa is due to expire.
How can we help?
Right to Rent checks are all part of our service when we market a property and find a suitable tenant, they are included in our referencing procedure for all tenants so whether you are looking for a managed or a let only service, we will ensure any applicants have the right to rent before they are able to proceed.
If you opt for our management service, we will also conduct follow up Right to Rent checks as and when required for each tenant to ensure all tenancies are legal and above board.