Why Check a Tenants Right to Rent? 1 Easy Way to Avoid Penalties
Why Check a Tenants Right to Rent? What are the Penalties for Non-Compliance with Right to Rent Checks?
The Right to Rent check is a mandatory requirement for all landlords in England. This check must be carried out on all new tenants before they move in.
Tenants Right to Rent check must be carried out by the landlord or their agent and must ensure the tenant has the right to live in the UK for the duration of their tenancy. Tenants must provide original documents that prove their identity and their right to live in the UK.
The penalties for non-compliance with Right to Rent are significant. Landlords who fail to comply can be fined up to £3,000 per tenant. In addition, landlords who knowingly rent to someone who does not have the right to live in the UK can be imprisoned for up to five years. MyVetting.com’s digital Right to Rent check takes the cost and stress out of conducting a Right to Rent, with results in minutes.
An online Right to Rent check protects both landlords and tenants. Landlords who fail to comply with the law face significant penalties, so it is important to make sure that you carry out the checks before your tenants move in.
Why Check a Tenants Right to Rent?
The Right to Rent Check is a government-run programme https://www.gov.uk/check-tenant-right-to-rent-documents/how-to-check that allows landlords to verify that their tenants have the legal right to rent their property. This programme was implemented in 2016 as part of the Immigration Act of 2014, and it requires landlords to check the immigration status of their tenants before renting to them.
The Tenants Right to Rent Check is a necessary precaution for landlords to take in order to protect their property and themselves from possible legal penalties. If a landlord does not check a tenants right to rent before the tenancy starts, they risk a £3,000 fine but may also be liable for their eviction and may even face criminal charges.
To avoid these penalties, landlords must be able to view tenants Right to Rent before agreements begin . The process is simple: the landlord must request to see the tenant’s original passport or other acceptable documents that prove their right to rent in the UK.
Once the Right to Rent Check is complete, the landlord can move forward with renting their property to the tenant with the peace of mind that they are complying with the law.
The Consequences of Not Conducting a Right to Rent Check
Part of owning a rental property, is knowing the law regarding who you can and can’t rent to. If you don’t have a right to rent check in place, you could face severe consequences.
As well as a fine, you could be sent to prison for up to five years and your property seized by the government. You could also be permanently banned from renting out property. Not conducting a right to rent check is very serious.
Documentation that can be used as evidence includes a passport, a biometric residence permit or an immigration status document.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
The civil penalty is a fine that is imposed by the court. It is not a criminal offence and landlords will not be liable for imprisonment if they fail to comply with the Scheme.
However, landlords who knowingly rent to someone who does not have the right to rent in the UK could be liable for a criminal offence and could face up to five years in prison.
The tenants Right to Rent Scheme applies to all landlords in England, regardless of whether they own or manage their property themselves or whether they use an agent to do so.
Landlords must check the immigration status of all new tenants before they sign a tenancy agreement. This includes tenants who are renewing their tenancy or taking over a tenancy from someone else.
Checks must be carried out on all adults who will be living in the property, regardless of whether they are named on the tenancy agreement.
Landlords can carry out the checks themselves or they can ask an agent to do so on their behalf.
Agents must be authorised by the landlord to carry out the checks and must have the landlord’s permission to access any relevant information about the tenant, such as their passport or immigration status.
How to Avoid a Civil Penalty
To avoid a civil penalty, landlords must make sure that they:
-Carry out the required checks on all new tenants before they sign a tenancy agreement
-Keep records of the checks that they have carried out
-Make sure that their agent has permission to carry out the checks on their behalf and has access to the relevant information about the tenant.
Other Potential Penalties for Non-Compliance
The Right to Rent scheme was introduced in England in February 2016 as part of the government’s immigration reforms.
The government plans to make it a criminal offence for landlords to knowingly rent to someone who does not have the right to rent in the UK, with a maximum penalty a £5,000 fine.
How Do I Conduct a Right to Rent Check?
So how do you go about conducting a tenants right to rent check online? Using the Myvetting.com app, you simply purchase your check and issue an alert in seconds through your Client Dashboard.
Your prospective tenant will be notified instantly and will be able to carry out their Liveness Check and upload their evidence from their device in seconds.
With checks completed in minutes, the MyVetting.com process is simple, seamless and affordable.
To conduct a digital right to rent check on Myvetting.com, you will need to have the following information to hand:
– The prospective tenant’s full name
-Their date of birth
-Their current address
If the prospective tenant passes the check, then you can go ahead and offer them a tenancy. If they fail the check, then you will need to further investigate their right to rent in the UK. This may involve asking to see original documents such as a passport or visa.
You must conduct a right to rent check on all tenants, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.
So, to avoid any penalties, make sure you conduct an online right to rent check on all prospective tenants before offering them a tenancy.
