What is an entitlement to rent check? This is a verification process similar to presenting your passport (and visa) to a border control officer at an immigration checkpoint. It occurs when a potential adult occupant of a rental property shows their identity documents in person to the landlord or rental agent. You should check if you are 18 years of age or older and are paying to use your property as a primary home, for example, if they are tenants, subtenants and paying guests. Compilation of guidelines to help landlords, homeowners and rental agents properly verify the right to rent and avoid civil penalties. Your landlord or leasing agent will ask you to see your immigration documents or passport when you start or renew your lease.
You will also be asked to see the documents of any other adult living with you. This is done to prove that you have the right to live in the UK and to rent, which is called a “right to rent check”. The Government requires you to check if all adults use the property as their sole or main dwelling, even if they are not included in the lease agreement. To avoid discrimination, landlords should check all potential tenants and tenants. If your visa or residence permit ends within a year, your landlord must do a follow-up check after a year if you still live there.
If you rent to an illegal immigrant and haven't properly verified the right to rent, you could be fined up to 3,000 pounds per tenant. During this period, applicants who are in the English jurisdiction of the right to rent must meet the requirements of the check and agents must set a date for a follow-up check. 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. You should seek immigration advice if you are told that you are not entitled to rent or that your permit to live in the UK has expired. The landlord must contact the Landlord Verification Service, where they will tell you if you have the “right to rent” and they will provide you with the correct documents.
This collection provides information to ensure that landlords, homeowners, and leasing agents carry out the necessary checks on the right to rent. Read an overview of the right to rent checks and the civil penalties landlords may face for illegal rentals. If your permit to reside in the UK has a time limit, the landlord must do another check within a year or when your visa ends, whichever comes later. The fines, which will take effect in early 2024, represent what the Home Office describes as the biggest reorganization of civil sanctions since controls were first introduced and will include charges of up to 20,000 pounds sterling in the event of a repeat offence. If you have a visa or a residence permit for more than one year, the landlord must do a follow-up check when your permit ends. If you rent a room to a tenant, you need to prove their right to rent, unless the landlord says they will.
The landlord or rental agent will use your participation code or documents to prove that you have the right to rent. The objective of this law is to combat illegal immigration by making it difficult for people living and working illegally in the UK.
