How to Carry Out Right to Rent Checks in England
Right to Rent checks apply to residential lettings within the scheme in England. Check every adult occupier consistently, use a permitted checking route and keep dated evidence. This guide reflects the Home Office code and landlord guidance effective from 1 October 2026.
What changed on 1 October 2026?
The updated guidance makes registration compulsory for a digital verification service provider used for digital Right to Rent checks. It also clarifies provider services, identity-matching technology and acceptable evidence, including specified documents issued digitally by an authoritative source.
A reference to an approved identity service is not enough on its own: check that the actual provider is registered with the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes and authorised to offer the relevant Right to Rent service. A referencing agency should identify the registered provider it uses.
Who needs a check and when?
For a tenancy within the scheme, consider every occupier aged 18 or over who will use the property as their only or main home, including adults not named on the agreement. Apply the same process regardless of nationality, name, accent or appearance. The scheme does not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland; exemptions and historic tenancy dates also matter.
Complete checks before authorising occupation and follow the timing for the person's right type. An unlimited-right check can be completed before the agreement. For time-limited rights, the code normally places the initial check within the 28 calendar days before the tenancy start. The guidance also addresses agreements made in advance and prospective occupiers overseas: check the current code and guidance for those circumstances.
Manual checks and digitally issued documents
Use the current List A or List B in Annex A of the Home Office guidance. Obtain acceptable original evidence, check that it is genuine and relates to the occupier, and retain a clear copy with the check date. Names, photographs, dates and permission conditions need to be considered together.
Where the lists permit it, an authoritatively digitally issued version can be acceptable. A scan or photograph of a paper document is not automatically equivalent to a document issued digitally by the official source. Follow the prescribed verification steps for the actual evidence presented; do not assume every manual check requires only a physical paper original.
Home Office online checks
The occupier supplies a Right to Rent share code and date of birth. Use the official landlord service yourself, check that its result relates to the person and save the dated profile showing their right and any follow-up requirement.
A screenshot supplied by the occupier does not replace your access to the official checking service. A Right to Work code is not a Right to Rent code. For eVisa holders, follow the online route; do not rely on an old physical biometric card as if it established current permission.
Registered digital verification providers
If you choose a digital verification provider, verify its entry on the OfDIA register and the services it is permitted to offer. The October guidance covers eligible British and Irish documents, specified digitally issued evidence and provider-supported facial matching; available services differ between providers.
Obtain the provider's output, confirm that the details and photograph relate to the occupier, and retain the evidence. You remain responsible for following the prescribed process. Do not disadvantage an applicant who needs or chooses an alternative permitted checking route.
If the usual evidence is unavailable
The Home Office Landlord Checking Service may be needed in specified situations, such as an outstanding application or documents held by the Home Office. Keep its response and follow any conditions or follow-up requirement it gives. Do not decide that a person is disqualified simply because they cannot immediately produce a document.
Time-limited follow-up checks
Record the statutory excuse expiry established by the prescribed check or accepted evidence, separately for each adult. Where the online service provides an exact follow-up date, retain that result. Complete the required follow-up before the statutory excuse expires; an immigration-document date alone is not always enough to calculate it.
An unlimited statutory excuse normally does not require follow-up during the tenancy. If permission cannot be demonstrated at follow-up, follow the Home Office reporting and checking guidance and seek advice instead of assuming you can immediately end the tenancy.
Evidence, retention and RentClock reminders
Keep the check result, method, date, identity evidence and any follow-up requirement securely for the tenancy and at least one year after it ends. Limit access and avoid collecting unnecessary immigration information.
RentClock can record occupiers and follow-up dates and help organise reminders. It does not perform identity verification, interpret immigration status or establish a statutory excuse. Use the official checking route and keep its supporting evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, where you choose a digital verification provider for the prescribed digital Right to Rent route. Verify the provider's OfDIA registration and relevant permitted service.
No. The October guidance allows specified authoritatively digitally issued evidence. Follow the current acceptable-document lists and verification requirements; an ordinary emailed scan is not automatically acceptable.
No. Access the official Home Office landlord checking service yourself and retain its dated result.
Keep the required dated evidence securely for the tenancy and at least one year after it ends.
Official sources
Further reading
Related tools and guides
This guide is general information, not legal advice. We review time-sensitive claims against official sources; see our editorial policy. Always check GOV.UK or a professional for your situation.