Right to Rent Checks

Right to Rent Checks:

Introduction

Anyone who lets private property in England needs to make Right to Rent checks to ensure the tenant has a right to rent property in the UK. This involves 3 steps:

  1. You show us your original documents proving you can rent in the UK;

  2. We check the documents with you present;

  3. We take a copy of the documents and file them.

Acceptable Documents

Listed below are the various documents that can be used to prove your right to rent. Please make sure you bring any documentation with you when you meet us as we will need to copy it.

Most of you travelling to the UK will have a passport/travel document with a time-limited visa. This falls under a List B document.

List A

Group 1 documents in List A permit the holder permanent right to rent in the UK.

Group 2 documents in List A must be shown in a combination of two.

List B

Documents in List B permit the holder to a time-limited right to rent in the UK

List A - British, EEA, Swiss Nationals or those with an indefinite right to be in the UK

List A - Group 1: Any one of these documents will prove indefinite right to rent

  1. A passport (current or expired) showing that the holder is a British citizen or a citizen of the UK and Colonies having the right of abode in the UK.

  2. A passport or national identity card (current or expired) showing that the holder is a national of the European Economic Area or Switzerland.

  3. A registration certificate or document (current or expired) certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office, to a national of a European Union, European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

  4. A permanent residence card, indefinite leave to remain, indefinite leave to enter or no time limit card issued by the Home Office (current or expired), to a non-EEA national who is a family member of an EEA or Swiss national.

  5. A biometric immigration document issued by the Home Office to the holder indicating that the person named is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK. The document must be valid (not expired) at the time the right to rent check is made.

  6. A passport or other travel document (current or expired) endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, has the right of abode in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.

  7. A current immigration status document containing a photograph issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person is permitted to stay indefinitely in the UK or has no time limit on their stay in the UK. The document must be valid (not expired) at the time the right to rent check is made.

  8. A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen.

List A - Group 2: Any two of these documents will prove indefinite right to rent

  1. A full birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland, which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder's parents or adoptive parents.

  2. A letter issued within the last 3 months confirming the holder's name, issued by a UK government department or local authority and signed by a named official (giving their name and professional address), or signed by a British passport holder (giving their name, address and passport number), or issued by a person who employs the holder (giving their name and company address) confirming the holder's status as an employee.

  3. A letter from a UK police force confirming the holder is a victim of crime and personal documents have been stolen, stating the crime reference number, issued within the last 3 months.

  4. Evidence (identity card, document of confirmation issued by one of HM forces, confirmation letter issued by the Secretary of State) of the holder's previous or current service in any of HM's UK armed forces.

  5. A letter from HM Prison Service, the Scottish Prison Service or the Northern Ireland Prison Service confirming the holder's name, date of birth, and that they have been released from custody of that service in the past 3 months; or a letter from an officer of the National Offender Management Service in England and Wales, an officer of a local authority in Scotland or an officer of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland confirming that the holder is the subject of an order requiring supervision by that officer.

  6. Letter from a UK further or higher education institution confirming the holder's acceptance on a course of studies.

  7. A current full or provisional UK driving licence.

  8. A current UK firearm or shotgun certificate.

  9. Disclosure and Barring Service certificate issued within the last 3 months.

  10. Benefits paperwork issued by HMRC, Local Authority or a Job Centre Plus, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions or the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development, within the 3 months prior to commencement of tenancy.

List B - Time Limited Right to Rent

List B: Any one of these documents will be sufficient to establish a time limited right to rent.

  1. A valid passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK for a time-limited period.

  2. A current biometric immigration document issued by the Home Office to the holder, which indicates that the named person is permitted to stay in the UK for a time limited period.

  3. A current residence card (including an accession residence card or a derivative residence card) issued by the Home Office to a non-EEA national who is either a family member of an EEA or Swiss national or has a derivative right of residence.

  4. A current immigration status document issued by the Home Office to the holder with a valid endorsement indicating that the named person may stay in the UK for a time-limited period.

  5. In the case that the person has an ongoing application with the Home Office, or their documents are with the Home Office, or they claim to have a discretionary right to rent, an email from the Landlords Checking Service providing a "yes" response to a right to rent request. This will only be sent to the landlord by the Landlords Checking Service.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-rent-document-checks-a-user-guide

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

SecurityMetrics Credit Card Safe