Right to Rent Checklist for Residential Landlord

This updated Right to Rent Checklist for Residential Landlord can be used to assist a landlord in checking a new tenant’s “right to rent”. Since 1 February 2016, all landlords in England must check that a new tenant has the “right to rent”.

Unless the landlord is using the Home Office online service, the landlord must check the tenant’s identity documents, such as a passport, driving licence, birth certificate or immigration document, to verify that the tenant has the right to reside in the UK. The right may be unlimited or time limited. If the right is time-limited the landlord will need to carry out a further check in 12 months or just before the end of the leave to remain (whichever is later).

Landlords can pass this duty on to a letting agent. If a letting agent is carrying out the right to rent checks, they should use the Right to Rent Checklist for Letting Agent template in our Estate Agency Documents folder (under Residential Lettings).

This checklist includes some brief guidance for landlords and a detailed list of acceptable documents, with instructions on what copies need to be taken and a list of matters that need to be checked for each document.

From the 06 April 2022, biometric residence permits, biometric residence cards and frontier worker permits cannot be used for a manual right to rent check and an online right to rent check must be carried out instead. The identity of British and Irish Citizens who hold a valid passport can also be checked using 'identity verification technology' via the services of an identity service provider. The checklist has been updated to account for these changes. 

This document is in open format. Either enter the requisite details in the highlighted fields or adjust the wording to suit your purposes.

Once you have purchased access to the appropriate document folder click on the “Download Document” button below. You will be asked what you want to do with the file. It is recommended that you save the document to a location of your choice prior to viewing.

Right to Rent Checklist for Residential Landlord is part of Property Documents. Just £35.00 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Property Documents for 1 year.