Can Landlords Delegate the Responsibility of Conducting Right to Rent Checks?

Issuing a verification of the right to rent is a legal requirement for landlords in the UK and must be made to all potential tenants. Normally, the landlord will be responsible for performing this verification, even when they hire an agent to manage their properties for them. However, it is possible to transfer the responsibility for performing a rental right verification to an agent. This must be done in writing and cannot be agreed to verbally.

There are three key steps to carrying out a manual verification of the right to rent, and all must be completed to ensure that the process complies with legislation. These include requesting documents digitally, verifying in a video call, and what to do if someone can't provide any accepted documents. Penalties for not following these steps correctly are severe, so landlords must ensure that they carry out the checks correctly and keep a record of them. If there is no time limit for your tenant to stay in the UK, then there is no need to carry out a follow-up check. Your agreements with the building owner must ensure that they properly maintain all communal gas appliances, ducts, and pipes that may be used by their tenants.

Landlords should consider all appliances left by the tenant (i.e., at the end of the lease) and that they decide to keep on the premises, making sure to include them in annual reviews and maintenance agreements. Landlords (or their rental agents) must check if all adults (i.e., over 1 year old) have the right to use their rental property as their primary home. If there is an implicit lease agreement, such as housing being part of a job (for example, vicar, publican), then landlords must continue to perform their functions of maintaining and monitoring gas safety. You should not assume that an annual service inspection includes the points required for a safety check; nor should you assume that carrying out an annual gas safety check will be sufficient to provide effective maintenance. There is a wide variety of documents that can be used in a check on the right to rent, and it's designed to be as accessible as possible for everyone.

It's easy to check the rental rights of foreign citizens online if they have a participation code. I've done it myself. This is a key pre-tenancy control which prevents potential tenants without legal immigration status from renting property in the private rented sector. Right to Rent checks may seem daunting, but the process of writing them is straightforward and designed to be as simple as possible for both landlord and tenant. Consumers are strongly advised to check the identification card before allowing anyone to start working on their gas appliances.

However, it is illegal for landlords to discriminate against people who are foreigners or appear to be foreigners, unless they cannot prove their right to rent in the United Kingdom.