Right to rent checks

From 1 February 2016 right to rent checks go live 

The Government has announced that, from 1 February 2016, all private landlords in England will be required to check that all new tenants have permission to live in the UK before renting their property out.

The new rules will not just cover private landlords, but also those who have a lodger in their home, who are sub-letting a property, or agents that have been appointed by the landlord to make the “right to rent” checks. Failure to conduct a right to rent check could lead to a fine of up to £3,000 per illegal tenant. Only certain documents are acceptable proof of a migrant’s right to remain in the UK, so the onus is on landlords and sub-letters to familiarise themselves with the sorts of documents they can accept. 

A separate “Landlords Checking Service”, which we expect will be in a similar format to the existing Employers Checking Service, will be launched for landlords to check tenants who have lodged an immigration application or appeal but do not hold the necessary documentation to prove their rights.