Right to Rent – how does it work

Right to Rent legislation was introduced by the UK Government on 1st February 2016. It means that letting agents need to prove that prospective tenants have the right to rent property in the UK.

Before the start of a new tenancy we will check that:

• the documents the prospective tenants provide are originals and belong to the tenant
• the dates for the prospective tenant’s right to stay in the UK haven’t expired
• the photos on the documents are of the prospective tenant
• the dates of birth are the same in all documents (and are believable)
• the documents aren’t too damaged or don’t look like they’ve been changed
• if any names are different on documents, there are supporting documents to show why, eg marriage certificate or divorce decree
• If the prospective tenant is arranging their tenancy from overseas, we must see their original documents before they start living at the property.

We will also carry out checks for all prospective tenants aged 18 and over, even if they’re not named on the tenancy agreement.

All these checks will complete the checks required as part of our expert referencing service in partnership with Rent-4-Sure.

You can find out more about the Right to Rent legislation here.

Failure to comply with this legislation could mean that the agent is liable for a fine of £3,000.