Right To Rent Check Online2024-07-03T11:08:17+01:00

Right to Rent Check Online

Reduce the risk of compromised tenancy agreements with Right To Rent Checks. Fast, accurate and comprehensive checks on potential tenants completed easily online.

Who needs a Right to Rent Check?

Right to Rent checks are a legal requirement of all tenancy agreements in England.  All tenants and lodgers must undergo a Right to Rent check before they start a new tenancy agreement. The Right to Rent process was put into place to prevent people with an unverified immigration status from renting residential properties in England.  

A Right to Rent check is the responsibility of the landlord, however, they may be undertaken on behalf of the landlord by a letting agency. At MyVetting.com, we understand that landlords and letting agencies need to operate at high speeds to secure tenants. Potential tenants also need a quick turnaround to secure a rental property, so our online Right to Rent checks return within hours, are affordable, easy to use and Home Office-compliant. 

In England, landlords, or letting agencies on behalf of landlords, must run a Right to Rent check on: 

  • All tenants aged 18 or over 
  • Whether named on the tenancy agreement or not 
  • Tenants with or without a tenancy agreement 
  • Tenants with or without a written tenancy agreement
     

Right to Rent

£10

1-10 applicants

£8

11-99 applicants

£6

100+ applicants

  • Real-Time Checks

  • Data-Encrypted Online System

  • Approved UK Home Office Provider

  • Powered by Digital Identity Validation Technology (IDVT)

  • Live Status Updates

  • Expert Customer Support

What is a Right to Rent Check? 

Right to Rent Checks are core to the tenancy process for all people wishing to rent residential property in England. A Right to Rent check will show if you can rent a property or live in a rental property if you are over the age of 18. To have the right to rent in England, you will need to have the right to live in England.   

A Right to Rent check will assess the immigration status of people over the age of 18 that wish to live in any residential rental property. A Right to Rent check must be successfully completed before the tenancy agreement starts.  

International citizens may have a time limit on their permission to reside in the UK. If these instances, landlords must run another Right to Rent check either within a year of the initial check or when your visa ends – the latest date determines the time of the subsequent Right to Rent Check. 

What’s included?

All MyVetting.com Right to Rent Check includes, as standard:

  • Passport or Birth Certificate Identification Check 

  • Liveness Check

  • MRZ check

  • Nationality check

  • Home Office Database Check

  • Expert Customer Support

For Non-UK, Non-Republic of Ireland Passports, we will also need to see and process your sharecode 

Renting to Lodgers

If you are currently renting out a property and wish to take a lodger, with the permission of the landlord, then it is your responsibility to check your lodger’s right to rent. In certain circumstances, your landlord may undertake the check, but a Right to Rent check must be completed for the lodger. It is advised to get this agreement documented in writing by your landlord.  

Previously, Right to Rent checks have had to be carried out in person, with the tenants supplying their documentation to the landlord or letting agent. The letting agent and landlord would have to them check, copy and store the evidence according to home Office regulations.  

At MyVetting.com, we’ve developed a digital solution that means we can run online Right to Rent checks. In a few clicks, landlords and letting agents send check requests straight to potential tenants’ mobile devices, for them to complete in seconds. Online Right to Rent are both as robust and fully compliant as traditional checks but quicker and more affordable.   

right to rent check

What Do Online Right to Rent Checks mean for Landlords? 

Introduced under the Immigration Act 2014, it is important for landlords to understand the implications of this act. Landlords and letting agents had been responsible for checking tenants’ paperwork in person, to understand if all tenants had the right to rent in England. With Home Office IDVT technology, the same checks must be carried out but this can happen digitally.  

Landlord and letting agents’ responsibilities 

The landlords or letting agents must: 

  • Undertake Right to Rent checks all adult tenants who will live in the property as their only or main home 
  • Request for tenants to evidence the original documents that show they have the right to be in the UK  
  • With MyVetting.com, documents are checked and verified digitally 
  • Check that the Right to Rent check has been certified as ‘passed’ on the MyVetting.com digital report 
  • Conduct follow up checks at the correct times  

What happens if the follow up Right to Rent check is failed?

Failed follow up checks demonstrate an occupant in a residential rental property no longer has a valid ‘Right to Rent’. This must be reported to the Home Office by the landlord or letting agent running the check. 

What documents are acceptable in a Right to Rent Check?

The documents that a tenant can have accepted as proof of their Right to Rent depend on their nationality. 

British and Republic of Ireland citizens: 

  • Valid UK or Republic of Ireland driving licence plus original UK or Republic of Ireland birth certificate 
  • Valid UK or Republic of Ireland passport 

 All other nationalities: 

  • Valid EEA/Swiss national ID card. Please note, a visa or proof of settlement status granted may be required 
  • Combination of passport and valid visa or Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) 

EEA countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden 

What if I have an Expired Passport? 

Expired passports are still accepted as documentary evidence for Right to Work checks.  

If you do not have a passport, you may submit a Birth Certificate as evidence of the Right to Work. A Birth Certificate has no expiry date. 

Simple 3 Step Process

How MyVetting.com Works

There’s no cost to register with MyVetting.com and you can reach your check dashboard in a few clicks.  

When you register, you can buy Right to Rent checks through the secure Stripe payment gateway. Buy one single check or hundreds of checks in one transaction. You can send checks straightaway or send them as you need them, over a 12-month period.    

When you’ve purchased your checks, you’ll arrive on your Client Dashboard where you can digitally send Right to Rent check requests to your applicants in a click. You can review the checks’ progress, buy more checks and send further checks from your dashboard with the click of a button. 

As well as Right to Rent checks, we also offer online DBS checks and digital Right to Work checks. 

1

Step 1

Landlord / Letting Agent – Send your Right to Rent Check request to your potential tenant 

2

Step 2

Potential Tenant – Upload evidence for digital checking by Home Office 

3

Step 3

Landlord / Letting Agent – Potential Tenants will share Right to Rent report with Landlord / Letting Agent 

Why use MyVetting.com for Right to Rent Checks?

  • Manage Your Checks – Send, track and buy checks from one central client dashboard 
  • Reduce Tenant Vetting Spend – Our affordable checks are carried out to Home Office standards. Our online checks reduce the resources required to complete checks, so we pass that saving on to you. 
  • Secure Processes – From GDPR and a secure payment gateway to Home Office IDVT technology, MyVetting.com is secure, efficient and robust. 
  • Customer Service – Our platform is as easy to use as 1, 2, 3 – but we still have screening experts on hand to help you when you need it.  

How long do Right to Rent Checks take? 

Depending on your applicants’ nationality, we could return a Right to Rent check within moments. For international passports, it may take up to 24 hours. Our systems can handle large numbers of checks at high speed at affordable costs – but we won’t ever compromise on the security and stringent nature of our checks.  

What will Right to Rent results show? 

The report will determine if your potential tenant has passed or failed the Right to Rent in England check.

Helpdesk

Frequently asked questions

What is a Right To Rent Check?2024-01-12T10:41:13+00:00

A Right to Rent Check requires lettings and rental agents in England to ensure that tenants who occupy the properties in their care have legal status to live in the UK. Before renting a home in England, lettings and rental agents must complete ID checks prior to letting the property.

On who Do I Need To Do a Right To Rent check?2024-01-12T10:40:18+00:00

As a lettings agent or rental agent, you must undertake a Right To Rent check on all prospective tenants over the age of 18, regardless of whether they have their name on the tenancy or not.

As a prospective tenant over the age of 18, whether named on the tenancy or not, you must expect to be requested to submit to a tenancy check.

Valid documents for submission in a Right To Rent check (depending on nationality):

UK, EEA or a Swiss citizen – 

A valid passport

A valid EEA/Swiss national ID card

A valid UK driving license and original UK birth certificate (British citizens only)

Other nationalities – 

A combination of a passport, a valid visa or a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).

Do I need to carry out a Right to Rent check if I am subletting?2024-01-12T10:38:46+00:00

Yes, if you’re subletting the property you rent, it is your responsibility to carry out a Right to Rent check and gather evidence of their Right To Rent before they move occupier in. Failure to do so leaves you accountable for any enforcement action or fines. If requesting your landlord to carry out a Right To Rent checks on your behalf, please agree in writing and retain a copy as proof.

How do British citizens prove their Right to Rent2024-01-12T10:37:46+00:00

If you are a British or Irish citizen, you have unlimited Right to Rent in the UK. This does not exclude these people from having to go through a Right to Rent check.  

If British or Irish citizens seek rented accommodation in England from a private landlord, they will still have to prove their residency or immigration status. This is called having the ‘Right to Rent’. This affects all new lettings including tenancies, licences, lodging arrangements and sub-lets.  

If you’re a British, you can prove your Right to Rent in England by showing your landlord a British passport. It can be a current passport, but an expired passport will also be accepted. If you do not hold a passport, you can provide a valid UK driving licence and a UK birth certificate.  

If you are an Irish citizen, you can also use your passport or passport card. Just like British citizens, for Irish citizens this can be an expired passport.   

Other accepted documents for an Irish citizen are a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen.  

Who is exempt from Right to Rent checks2024-01-12T10:36:30+00:00

Children under the age of 18 are exempt from Right to Rent checks but landlords are allowed to verify the age of the person claiming to be under 18.   

Also, you can be exempt from Right to Rent checks if you are staying in the certain types of accommodation such as: 

  • Holiday accommodation of less than three months.  
  • Housing provided by local authorities through homelessness or allocations procedures (including most housing association homes)  
  • Care homes  
  • Hostels or refuges  
  • Homeless accommodation provided by the local    
  • Home Office accommodation for migrants  
How to get a share code to use to prove your Right to Rent?2024-01-12T10:34:00+00:00

A share code is a 9-character code generated through the Home Office online service. This code is valid for 90 days and can be used multiple times within that period. Renters can provide this share code, along with their date of birth, to prospective agents or landlords for the Right to Rent check.  

How to Generate Your Share Code:  

Follow these steps to generate your share code and provide it to your agent or landlord.  

Step 1:  

Visit the Home Office online service and review the provided information.  

If you have all the necessary documents, click “Start now” under the ‘Prove your Right to Rent online’ section.  

Step 2:  

In this step, you will:  

  • Provide information about your immigration status.  
  • Enter details of your evidence, such as your biometric residence card number.  
  • Provide your date of birth.  

Step 3:  

Select the reason for sharing your status. In this case, choose “to prove your Right to Rent.”  

A preview of the information to be shared with the agent or landlord will be displayed.  

Step 4:  

Click “Create share code” to generate your unique 9-character code.  

You can then enter this code into your Rent Passport under the Right to Rent section (if requested).  

By following these steps, renters can efficiently generate a share code to demonstrate their Right to Rent in the UK to prospective agents or landlords.  

What is the penalty for landlords not complying with Right to Rent in the UK?2024-01-12T10:31:52+00:00

Potential Fines for Landlords Regarding Right to Rent:  

Landlords in the UK could face significant fines, potentially reaching as high as £20,000, for their failure to ensure that their tenants and lodgers possess the legal Right to Rent in the country.  

Increased Fines for Landlords Dealing with Illegal Immigrants:  

In cases where landlords engage with illegal immigrants as tenants, the fines are set to escalate significantly. For a first breach, the fines will rise from £80 per lodger and £1,000 per occupier to a range of up to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier.  

In the case of repeat breaches, the fines will further increase, potentially reaching up to £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier. This marks a substantial hike from the previous fines of £500 and £3,000, respectively.  

Imprisonment as a Potential Consequence:  

It’s important to note that, in addition to fines, landlords can also face the possibility of imprisonment if they fail to adhere to the requirement of verifying the Right to Rent status of their occupiers.  

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