The right to rent scheme (Immigration Act 2014) requires private residential landlords in England to verify that all adult tenants have the legal right to rent. For most non-UK and non-Irish nationals, this now means using a digital share code rather than physical documents.
What is a right to rent share code?
- A 9-character alphanumeric code generated by the tenant from their UKVI online account
- Valid for 90 days from the date of generation
- Combined with the tenant's date of birth to reveal immigration status on the gov.uk Landlord Checking Service
- Required for: EU/EEA/Swiss nationals with EU Settlement Scheme status, eVisa holders, BNO Hong Kong visa holders, and others with digital-only immigration status
- Not needed for UK or Irish citizens — they use physical documents from the statutory list
How to perform the check
- Ask the tenant to generate their share code at gov.uk (UKVI account → Prove your right to rent in England)
- Go to gov.uk/landlords-online-right-to-rent-checks
- Enter the 9-character share code and the tenant's date of birth
- The service returns: (a) right to rent confirmed with no time limit; (b) right to rent confirmed until [date]; or (c) cannot confirm right to rent
- Screenshot or print the result and file it with the tenancy records
Time-limited leave: follow up before expiry
If the result shows a time-limited right to rent, diarise a follow-up check at least one month before the expiry date. Ask the tenant for a new share code showing extended leave. If they cannot provide one, use the Landlord Helpline before the expiry date.
Record-keeping
- Keep the check result (screenshot or print) for the tenancy duration and at least 1 year after it ends
- Record the date of the check, the share code used, and the date of birth entered
- Do not share the result with third parties — immigration status data is sensitive personal data under UK GDPR
- Include right to rent checking in your privacy notice to prospective tenants