The Right to Rent

The Right to Rent, introduced in 2015, requires all landlords and agents to check that tenants are legally allowed to be in the country and therefore able to rent a property.  If the property is subsequently rented to someone who is not entitled to rent in the UK and the landlord or agent has failed to do the proper checks, they can be fined up to £3,000 per offence and risk imprisonment.

What you’ll need to do

You’ll need to provide evidence of your right to be in the UK. The easiest way to do this is by providing a copy of your passport and your visa (if you need one to be in the UK).  There are other acceptable documents and the full list is available online.

The landlord is also responsible for carrying out ongoing checks, in particular where the tenant has a time-limited right to rent in the UK. If you have a visa that is for a fixed term only, you might, therefore, be expected to provide additional information later in the tenancy.

As the landlord is legally obliged to collect and retain the information it follows that you, as the tenant, will also need to supply it in order to secure the tenancy. If the landlord doesn’t ask for the information, it is worth asking what other obligations they may not be adhering to.