If you don't have any documents because you're waiting for an immigration decision from the Home Office, ask the landlord to request a “right to rent” check from the Home Office. They must respond within 2 business days. You can use your passport or an immigration document to prove your right to rent if you show that you have permission from the Home Office to be in the UK. It imposes restrictions on illegal immigrants' access to rented housing in England by requiring all adult occupants to prove that they are legally in the United Kingdom before they are granted a lease.
This is done through a process called a rent-to-entitlement check. This occurs when a potential adult occupant of a rental property shows their identity documents in person to the landlord or rental agent. This is a verification process similar to presenting your passport (and visa) to a border control officer at an immigration checkpoint. The acceptable documents a tenant can use to prove their identity and their right to rent depend on their nationality. The occupancy of a rental property is conditional on all adult occupants demonstrating a valid rental right before the start date of the lease.
This can be done at any Foxtons branch. If any adult occupant fails to present their original documents attesting to a valid rental right, all occupants may be denied access to the rental property until this requirement is met. If the tenant has an unlimited right to rent, the verification can be carried out at any time before the start of the contract. For a limited-time rental right, the verification must be performed no more than 28 days before the start of the contract.
If it's not practical to check the documents before signing the lease (for example, if the prospective tenant lives abroad and wants to arrange their accommodation in the UK before they arrive), you can initially accept the lease, but you shouldn't confirm it until you've checked their documents. Yes, as long as you have other identity documents confirming your right to rent. British citizens must present an identity document, such as a driver's license and an original UK birth certificate. Other documents, such as recent utility bills and bank statements in your name, can support your request. It will give the owner the reference number of their Ministry of the Interior and then the owner can request the tests from the Ministry of the Interior here.
The Home Office should contact the landlord within two business days; however, you won't be able to move until the verification is complete. The University will not issue letters to landlords confirming their immigration status. According to the rules of the “right to rent”, the landlord is responsible for carrying out the checks. If your passport or biometric immigration document has been stolen, you can use a letter from the UK police confirming that you have been the victim of a crime and that your passport has been reported stolen, stating the criminal reference number, which has been issued in the last three months, as proof of your right to rent.
The Home Office introduced rent-to-rent checks with the aim of making it harder for people to live and work illegally in England. Then, they can allow the remaining legal tenants to continue their tenancy by reassigning it to one or more remaining adult occupants who have the right to Rent. If the person has a digital CoA, they must perform an online verification and do not need to check any physical documentation. You can ask the landlord to carry out the checks on your behalf. This agreement must be agreed in writing and you must keep a copy as evidence.
If you check this document correctly, as stated here and in the Landlord's Guide to Checks on the Right to Rent, you'll establish a limited legal exemption for a limited time to exempt yourself from liability for a civil penalty and you'll need to check again before your legal excuse expires. Landlords who rent to tenants without the right to rent can be subject to criminal proceedings, which can result in fines of up to 3,000 pounds sterling and even prison sentences. If you rent a home with the help of a guarantor, you will have to undergo residency checks yourself. For more information on the steps necessary to establish a legal exemption from liability for a civil penalty when verifying physical documents, see the landlord's guide to right-to-rent checks.
If you are unable to provide accepted documents confirming your identity and your right to live in the UK, you will not be able to rent property in England. You must keep a copy of the response to the check for the duration of the lease and for one year after its end. Newcomers to the United Kingdom must prove their right to rent through the documents they used to enter the country.
