Right to Rent Checks: A Step-by-Step Guide for UK Landlords (2026)

Right to Rent is a legal requirement — for England only

Right to Rent checks are mandatory in England under Section 22 of the Immigration Act 2014. You must verify that every adult occupier (18+) has the right to live in the UK before they move in.

This applies in England only. Scotland and Wales do not have Right to Rent checks. If you let in those regions, the checks don't apply — but anti-discrimination laws do. Using immigration status to reject a tenant is illegal.

You must check every adult occupier who'll live at the property — not just the tenant on the lease, but partners, adult children, housemates, everyone 18+.

Penalties for breaches: £10,000–£20,000 per tenant (civil), or up to 5 years prison (if you knowingly let to someone without right to remain). Most breaches are civil penalties, but they're serious money.

The three routes: Online check, manual passport, or IDSP

1. Online Check (Share Code) — fastest, free, preferred

The tenant generates a share code at gov.uk/uk-visas-immigration/prove-right-to-rent, sends it to you (8–9 characters, valid 30 days). You enter it on the same gov.uk page. Within seconds, the system confirms their name, DOB, and immigration status (unlimited or time-limited). You screenshot the result and note the expiry date if time-limited. That's it.

2. Manual Check (Physical Passport) — British or Irish passport holders only

You see the original passport (British or Irish only), verify it's genuine (watermarks, holograms match HM Passport Office guidance), check the photo matches the person and it's not expired. Record: passport number, name, DOB, expiry date, date checked. Keep a legible photocopy.

Important: You must see the original in person — no photos over WhatsApp or email scans. British and Irish passport holders have unlimited right to remain; no follow-up check needed.

Why Irish passports (and not EU)? Irish citizens aren't treated specially because of EU membership — they're treated specially because of the Common Travel Area, a UK–Ireland arrangement that predates the EU (Ireland Act 1949, Immigration Act 1971) and survived Brexit intact. Irish citizens have automatic unlimited right to live, work, and rent in the UK. Other EU/EEA nationals now need EUSS status or a visa and go through the online share code route — not the manual passport check.

3. IDSP Check (Digital Provider) — anyone, includes remote tenants, paid

Choose an accredited IDSP (Yoti, Intellinetics, or gov.uk's own IDSP service). Tenant signs up, provides documents/biometrics. IDSP verifies and sends you a report (identity verified: yes/no, right to rent status: unlimited/time-limited/not eligible, follow-up date if time-limited). Cost: £5–25 per person. You keep the report and date received.

Note: IDSPs are primarily available for British and Irish passport holders. For other nationalities, use the online share code route (gov.uk) or a manual document check as fallback.

Unlimited vs. time-limited leave: Know the difference

Group 1 — Unlimited Right to Remain (one check only)

• British passport, Irish passport, British travel document, permanent residence card (non-EEA, issued before 31 Dec 2020), EUSS settled status, right of abode document
• Check once, keep evidence, no follow-up needed.

Group 2 — Time-Limited Right to Remain (follow-up check required)

• Biometric residence permit (BRP), biometric residence card (BRC), visa vignette in passport (work, student, family), EUSS pre-settled status, temporary residence permit (TRP), asylum seeker's ARC, immigration bail, transitional visa-free exemption (EU pending applications)
• Check once, note the expiry date, and set a reminder to re-check before that date.

Why follow-up matters: If their leave expires and you haven't re-checked, you're knowingly letting to someone without right to remain. That's a breach. Contact them one month before expiry and ask for an updated share code or documents. If their visa has renewed or moved to settled status, update your records. If it's expired, ask them to leave.

SelfLet tracks this: Log the initial check with expiry date, and SelfLet reminds you before the deadline.

What evidence to keep and for how long

Keep records for 12 months after the tenancy formally ends (not after move-out, but the contract end date).

Online check: Share code, check date, screenshot of gov.uk confirmation, tenant's name and DOB (as shown), expiry date if time-limited.

Manual check: Photocopy of ID (both sides), check date, name/DOB/passport number, passport expiry date, your note that you saw the original and verified it.

IDSP check: IDSP report, date received, tenant name and status, expiry date if time-limited.

Store securely: Encrypted file, password-protected PDF, or secure cloud storage. These are identity documents — treat them carefully. SelfLet stores this per tenant with check date and next re-check deadline, automatically reminding you before deadlines.

Penalties: What happens if you don't do it

• Civil penalties: £10,000 (first breach), £20,000 (subsequent) per tenant. Local authority or enforcement agent issues these.
• Criminal penalties (knowing breaches): Up to 5 years in prison and unlimited fine if you knowingly let to someone without right to remain.
• Other consequences: Landlord bans (repeated breaches), reputational damage if named in enforcement action, possible mortgage breach (some lenders require compliance).

Most breaches are civil penalties. £10,000–£20,000 per tenant is serious money. Let 2 people without checking: £40,000+.

Avoid these common mistakes

• Only checking the named tenant: Ask upfront, "Will anyone else 18+ be living here?" Check everyone who moves in.
• Checking after move-in: Must be before keys are handed over. Make it a condition of the tenancy.
• Accepting ID photos over text: For manual checks, see the original in person. For online/IDSP, that's not an issue.
• Forgetting follow-up dates: Log the expiry date immediately and set a reminder one month before. SelfLet does this automatically.
• Treating it as optional: It's a legal requirement every time. Make it part of your standard onboarding.
• Confusing England with Scotland/Wales: Right to Rent is England-only. In other regions, you don't do the check but you do follow anti-discrimination laws (don't reject tenants based on immigration status).

Which route to use?

Default: Online share code. It's free, fast, and government-verified. For British/Irish passport holders without a UKVI account, use manual (they just show you their passport). Use IDSP if you need extra assurance or tenant can't access the online system.

Your checklist

Before move-in:

• Ask: "Will anyone else 18+ be living here?" Check everyone moving in.
• Choose a route: online (fastest), manual (passport holders), or IDSP.
• Keep the evidence: share code/screenshot, passport photocopy, or IDSP report, plus check date and any expiry date.
• Store securely: encrypted file, password-protected PDF, or cloud storage.

If time-limited leave:

• Set a reminder one month before expiry.
• Contact tenant before expiry and ask for an updated share code or documents.
• Do the follow-up check and update your records.
• If leave has expired, ask tenant to leave (you're in breach if you don't).

End of tenancy:

• Keep evidence for 12 months after tenancy formally ends, then you can destroy it.

Summary

Right to Rent is a legal requirement in England: check every adult 18+ before move-in (not just the named tenant), use one of three routes (online/manual/IDSP), keep evidence for 12 months after tenancy ends, re-check before expiry dates for time-limited leave. Penalties: £10,000–£20,000 per tenant (civil), up to 5 years prison (knowing breaches). England-only; Scotland and Wales don't require it but have anti-discrimination laws.

Do it right, keep evidence, no penalty. Skip it, you're risking five figures or prison.

SelfLet automates the tracking: log the check with date and expiry, SelfLet stores per-tenant evidence and reminds you before follow-up dates. All your evidence in one place, audit-ready, searchable, court-ready. You still need to understand the law and do the checks — but the filing and reminders are handled.

Last updated: April 2026. Section 22 of the Immigration Act 2014. England only. Always check gov.uk for the latest guidance.