Right to rent – what does it mean for tenants?
Right to Rent was introduced across England by Theresa May back in 2016 when she was Home Secretary. These regulations require agents or landlords to ask tenants for original documents ‘proving’ their right to be in the UK. Here we look at what these checks mean for tenants.
Right to Rent explained
Right to Rent requires landlords to check that all tenants in properties have legal status to live in the UK. This means that before you can rent a home in England, a landlord or letting agent must undertake passport and immigration checks prior to letting out the property. Landlords or agents might request the tenant’s passport or visa or even both. It is their responsibility to check the name, photograph and any expiry date of the documents. They are then required to make copies of the documents and record the date they made the check. If the tenant has a time-limited visa, checks must be made for future dates to ensure the tenant still has the right to be in the UK. Any landlords or agents who fail to carry out appropriate checks can be liable for penalties.
Brexit – what effect will this have?
Letting agents must ensure they are up to date with the latest guidance on nationals of USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. There could be considerable changes made to the Right to Rent scheme in the event of the UK leaving the EU. The Government are set to bring forward a new Immigration Bill, but there are no changes as yet. Until there such changes, new tenancies for residential property in England should continue with the current regulation checks.
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