How do you do a right to rent check?

What you need

• The tenant, present for a document check, so you can see the documents belong to them.
• Either their original documents, or a share code from them.
• A way to make copies that cannot be changed, such as a photocopy or a clear photo.

For British and Irish citizens, a British passport (current or expired), an Irish passport or passport card, or a certificate of registration or naturalisation are accepted.

Who you must check

Check all tenants aged 18 or over who will live in the property as their main home. This applies even with no written tenancy agreement. It is against the law to only check people you think are not British citizens.

You do not need to check people in, for example, social housing, care homes, hostels, student halls, mobile homes, council-provided housing, tied accommodation, or on leases of 7 years or more.

Step by step: a manual document check

1. Ask the tenant for original documents that show their right to live in the UK.
2. Check them with the tenant present. Look at whether they are genuine, the photo matches, the dates of birth match, and nothing is damaged or changed.
3. If names differ, see the supporting document (such as a marriage certificate).
4. Copy the documents. For passports, copy every page with the expiry date or the holder's details.
5. Write down the date you did the check.

Step by step: an online check with a share code

Use this if the tenant has an eVisa, settled or pre-settled status, or a similar digital status.

1. Get a share code from the tenant.
2. Go to the GOV.UK "view a tenant's right to rent" service and enter the code.
3. Check the profile page and photo match the tenant.
4. Save or print the profile page.
5. Record the date of the check.

For British and Irish citizens, you can also use a registered digital identity service (a Digital Verification Service) to check their documents.

If the tenant cannot show documents

Use the Home Office Landlord Checking Service. You need the tenant's Home Office reference number. You will usually get an answer within 2 working days.

Timing and follow-up checks

• If the tenant's permission to be in the UK is time-limited, do the check in the 28 days before the tenancy starts.
• Do a follow-up check just before the later of: the end of their permission to stay, or 12 months after your last check.
• No follow-up check is needed if they have indefinite leave to remain.
• If a tenant fails a follow-up check, tell the Home Office. If you do not, you could be fined or sent to prison for up to 5 years.

Keeping records

Keep the copies for the whole tenancy and for 1 year after it ends. Follow data protection law.

Help

If you have a problem viewing a tenant's digital immigration status, the Home Office says to contact the UKVI Resolution Centre on 0300 790 6268.

If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

Right to rent checks are for residential lettings in England.

Related guides

• How do I get a share code to prove my immigration status?
• What is an eVisa and how do I get access to mine?
• How do I prove my right to work?
• What is the Renters' Rights Act and who does it cover?

Where this comes from

• Check your tenant's right to rent (GOV.UK)
• How to do a right to rent check (GOV.UK)
• Follow-up checks (GOV.UK)
• Copying documents (GOV.UK)
• Prove your right to rent (GOV.UK)
• Landlord's guide to right to rent checks (GOV.UK)