This guide provides advice to landlords, leasing agents, and homeowners on how to perform a rental entitlement check when renting privately. If a landlord rents their property to someone without the right to rent in England, they can be fined up to £3,000 per tenant or sent to prison. The Home Office introduced right-to-rent checks with the aim of making it harder for people to live and work illegally in England. Certified Identity Service Providers (IDSPs) are external providers that comply with a government standard for digitally verifying the right to rent of British and Irish citizens who hold a valid passport (including Irish passport cards).
IDSPs offer convenient checks, but not all agents will be able to offer Right to Rent checks through an IDSP. If digital evidence is not available, tenants can show their original documents. Everyone who has a legal permit to stay in the UK has the right to rent residential housing as a sole or primary home. Local council plans can help landlords feel more comfortable renting without a guarantor by offering a deposit or rental guarantee.
For a limited-time rental right, the verification must be performed no more than 28 days before the start of the contract. To maintain a legal excuse, follow-up checks must be performed before the rental right expires. If tenants paid their rent on time in the past, they can show their lease agreement and rent book or bank statements as proof. The Home Office has a free and confidential helpline for undocumented migrants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at 0207 553 7470.
They can offer specialized immigration advice on whether they can apply for a rental permit from the Ministry of the Interior. If tenants cannot prove their right to rent, they won't be allowed to rent a property from a private landlord. If tenants have arrived in the UK as part of the Homes for Ukraine program or the Ukraine Family program and don't pay rent because they live with a host, they don't have to prove that they have the right to rent. Changes in the way those with pending applications with the EUSS prove their right to rent can be found in Annex C.If landlords do not carry out the checks and confirm that tenants are allowed to enter or stay in the UK, they will not be able to rent to them.
We know that many people find it very difficult to raise enough money for deposits and one month's rent. If Commonwealth citizens arrived in the UK before the end of 1988, the Homeowner Verification Service should notify the Windrush support team who will contact them to confirm their circumstances and try to find out their situation.
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