Date Published 04 January 2016
Right to Rent checks will become mandatory in England from 1st February 2016.
This mean that Landlords need to check the identity documents for all new tenants & anyone over 18 who will reside at the property. This also applies to people who are sub-letting their property or taking in lodgers.
The documents to check are: A UK passport, a European Economic Area passport or identity card, a permanent residence card or travel document showing indefinite leave to remain, a Home Office immigration status document or a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen. Copies of the I.D also need to be taken and retained.
The tenant needs to provide consent for a Right to Rent check to be carried out and the check is free on the .Gov website.
Right to Rent was introduced in the Immigration Act 2014 as part of the government's reforms to build a fairer and more effective immigration system. Under the new rules, all Landlords who fail to check a potential tenant's ‘Right to Rent' will face penalties of up to £3,000 per tenant.
