Right to Rent check
The Government has announced today (20th October 2015) that the Right-to-Rent Scheme will go nationwide from 1 February 2016. From this point all private-landlords letting property in England will be required to check the immigration status (or right-to-rent) of prospective tenants before agreeing to establish a new tenancy.
Under the new rules, landlords who fail to check a potential tenant’s ‘Right to Rent’ will face penalties of up to £3,000 per tenant.
From 1 February 2016, right-to-rent checks will be required in England if you:
- Are a private landlord
- Take in a lodger
- Are a landlord or tenant sub-letting a property
- Are an agent appointed by a landlord to make right-to-rent checks
To comply with the regulations landlords will need to:
- Check adult tenant(s) will live in the property as their only or main home
- Ask tenant(s) for the original document(s) that show they have the right to be in the UK
- Check the documents are valid with the tenant present
- Make and keep copies of the documents and record the date you made the check
The Government is now updaing its guidance document for landlords and I will post this on our website when available.
Find out more about making the Right to Rent checks at the Government website.
