Value my property

Right to Rent Checks

Right to Rent Checks

Who you have to check

As part of the application and referencing we also carry out a Right to Rent Check

You must now check that a tenant can legally rent a residential property in England by law. Before the start of a new tenancy, you must make checks for all tenants aged 18 and over, even if:

  • they’re not named on the tenancy agreement

  • there’s no tenancy agreement

  • the tenancy agreement isn’t in writing

We must check all new tenants. It’s against the law to only check people you think aren’t British citizens.

If the tenant is only allowed to stay in the UK for a limited time, you need to do the check in the 28 days before the start of the tenancy.

 

Further checks

You must make a further check on your tenant to make sure they can still rent property in the UK if their permission to stay is time limited.

You can get a fine (also known as a civil penalty) if you don’t make a further check and your tenant’s permission to stay runs out.

Depending on which is the longest, you must make a further check just before either:

  • the expiry date of your tenant’s right to stay in the UK

  • 12 months after your previous check

You won’t have to make a further check if your tenant doesn’t have any time restrictions on their right to stay in the UK.