Since the Immigration Act was introduced in 2014, landlords have a legal obligation to check the residency status of their tenants.
This blog teaches you how to check a tenant’s right to rent and some shortcuts to compliance success.
- What is the right to rent?
- Why is it so important?
- How to check a tenant’s right to rent
- How technology can help
- Take the headache out of compliance
What is the right to rent?
Right to rent applies to any tenant over the age of 18 and must be checked to see if your tenant can legally rent your residential property and has the legal status to live in the UK. The rule applies in England only, and all tenants must be checked even if they’re not named on the tenancy agreement.
Several exemptions include social housing, care homes, hospices, hospitals, hostels, refuges, mobile homes and student accommodation. When a local authority provides accommodation, is part of employment, or the tenant has a seven-year or longer lease, there’s also no need to check the right to rent.
Tenants must provide legal documentation that proves they have the right to reside in your property and the UK.
Why is it so important?
The right to rent scheme was enacted in February 2016 after the Immigration Act became law in 2014. The Home Office introduced the measure to make it more difficult for people to live in the UK illegally.
As a landlord, you must ensure your tenants reside legally within the UK. Landlords can face potential imprisonment for not complying with right to rent checks, making it a top priority for you to focus on.
How to check a tenant's right to rent
So, how do you check a tenant’s right to rent? Landlords must check the legal residential status of a tenant before the tenancy begins to ensure that they are fully compliant.
You must receive a copy of identification documents and make copies for your records. You can check the documents in person or by an online identity service provider.
For British and Irish citizens, passports, a certificate of registration or a naturalisation as a British citizen can be used. For non-British residents, their original immigration documents will suffice.
For tenants with biometric residence cards or settled or pre-settled status, the government can generate a share code to confirm their right to rent.
Ensure all copies are taken and documented for all tenants to ensure your property business remains compliant.
How technology can help
Naturally, these checks take time and effort and can be costly if neglected. That’s where technology can help to lighten the load.
Our CheckDocs software enables you to perform, track and store the checks you carry out on a tenant’s Right to Rent in the UK.
CheckDocs creates individual profiles for each of your tenants that can be grouped by property. Any documents can be uploaded, stored and checked within the software, meaning you have a compliance paper trail in one place.
You can generate regular reports to ensure you’re up to date and schedule reminders for important checks. This takes away the time-consuming admin of right to rent checks, leaving you with one less thing to worry about.
Take the headache out of compliance
Sound like something your property business could benefit from? CheckDocs supports your right to rent checks and so much more. To ensure you always remain compliant, learn more about our CheckDocs software and how it could benefit your business.
