Right to Rent applies in England only. Since 2014, every private landlord has had a statutory duty to check that every adult occupier has the right to rent in the UK before the tenancy begins. Failure to check, or failure to carry out follow-up checks when required, carries a civil penalty of up to £3,000 per illegal occupant, plus criminal liability in the most serious cases.
Three check methods
- Manual check, meet the tenant in person, see their original document (passport, BRP, etc.), check it is genuine, take a dated copy. Hardest to get right; no statutory excuse if the document was a good forgery.
- IDVT (Identity Document Validation Technology), for British and Irish citizens only. Certified provider checks the document electronically. Statutory excuse applies.
- Home Office online check, tenant generates a share code from their BRP or eVisa account; you verify it on gov.uk. Fastest and most robust; statutory excuse applies.
For any tenant without a British or Irish passport, the Home Office online check is now strongly preferred. A manual check of a forged BRP will not give you the statutory excuse if the forgery is later discovered.
Acceptable documents (manual check)
- UK or Irish passport (current or expired).
- Permanent residence card or biometric residence permit (BRP).
- Home Office travel document.
- Combination: birth certificate + proof of National Insurance number (UK or Irish nationals only).
- Refugee status letter with photo and 5-year leave.
Follow-up checks
If the tenant has time-limited leave to remain, you must carry out a follow-up check before the leave expires. If the follow-up shows leave has been extended, record the new expiry. If it shows no valid leave, you must notify the Home Office and begin steps to end the tenancy (the tenancy does not end automatically).
Children and adults in the household
You only check adults (18 and over). A child turning 18 during the tenancy must be added to the check on their 18th birthday. Keep a record of every adult who moves in and when, a household composition log is part of a proper Right to Rent file.
Record-keeping
- Dated copy of each document checked, or the Home Office online check result page.
- Note of the date the check was carried out.
- Note of the check method (in-person, IDVT, online).
- Any follow-up check dates diarised.
- Records retained for 1 year after the tenancy ends.
The <a class='underline text-brand-700' href='/shop/right-to-rent-check-pack'>Right to Rent Check Pack</a> includes the checklist, an acceptable-document chart updated for 2026, a follow-up check diary, and an adults-in-household log, everything the Home Office will ask for if they audit you.