It is the law in England that landlords must carry out a right to rent check before starting a new tenancy. We must check that you and everyone aged 18 and over living in your home are allowed to rent in England.

You will be asked for either:

• a passport or immigration document
• a 'share code' which lets someone check your immigration status online
• or other documents or information if you cannot provide these.

We must inspect the original documents and take a photograph or screenshot of the documents to prove to the government we have completed a right to rent check.

What is the right to rent?

You have the 'right to rent' if you have the right to live in the UK. You can pass a right to rent check by showing you have the right to live in the UK.

Before your tenancy starts, we must check the right to rent status of anyone aged 18 and over who will live in the property.

If you rent a room out to a lodger, you must inform us so that we can carry out a right to rent check and update your household information.

If your permission to be in the UK has a time limit, we must do another check either within a year or when your visa ends, whichever is later. 

 

Who has the right to rent?

You have the right to rent if you can prove you have:

• British or Irish citizenship
• indefinite leave to remain (ILR)
• refugee status or humanitarian protection
• settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme
• permission to be in the UK, for example, on a work or student visa
• a time limited right to rent granted by the Home Office

If you've left Ukraine because of the war, you have the right to rent as long as you have Home Office permission to stay in the UK. For example, a visa under the Ukraine family scheme or Ukraine sponsorship scheme.

Find out more information on housing for refugees here.

If you're seeking asylum, you do not usually have the right to rent. But you could get housing through the asylum support system if you have nowhere to live.

Find out more information on asylum support and housing here.

If your visa or leave to remain ends within a year, we will do a follow up check after a year if you still live there.

If you have a visa or leave to remain for more than a year, we will do a follow up check when your leave ends.

What documents will you need?

British and Irish citizens can show:

• a current or expired passport
• a certificate of registration or naturalisation

What if I don’t have these documents?

Don’t worry, there are lots of alternative documents you can use if you do not have either of these. The government provide a list of accepted documents that can be found on their website. You will have to show 2 of these other documents. For example, a UK birth certificate and driving licence.

View the list of accepted documents.

Get an online 'share code' to pass the check

You need to get a 'share code' if you have:

• EU settled or pre-settled status
• a biometric residence card or permit
• an eVisa - get a share code online at GOV.UK.

Give the share code and your date of birth to us, and we will use this information to check your right to rent on GOV.UK. We will download a copy of the online right to rent check and store it as proof to the government we completed a right to rent check.

If you cannot get a share code

You can use your passport or an immigration document to prove your right to rent if it shows you have Home Office permission to be in the UK.

View the list of accepted immigration documents to prove your right to rent. 

If your documents are with the Home Office

We can still help if you give us your Home Office reference number. We will either:

• request a right to rent check on GOV.UK
• or contact the Landlord Right to Rent Helpline on 0300 069 9799

If you cannot pass a right to rent check

We cannot legally give you a tenancy if you fail a pre-tenancy right to rent check. If you fail a follow up check, your landlord must tell the Home Office and act on any instructions given.

The Home Office will ask you for proof of your status in case there has been a mistake.

Get advice

You should seek advice if you're told that you have no right to rent, or that your permission to live in the UK has ended. Citizens Advice can help you get specialist immigration advice.

Search for a regulated immigration adviser.

Data Protection

Any copies of documents or right to rent checks we complete will be sorted securely for the lifetime of your tenancy, plus one year, in accordance with the requirements set out for landlords by the government.