Right to Rent Checks for Tenants

Landlords renting out a property in England have to check whether their tenants are legally allowed to live in the UK – this applies to people letting to lodgers too.

In other words, your landlord has to see proof that you’re a UK resident and can take copies of the documents you use as proof.

Your landlord has to check:

• That you’ll be living at their property as your only/main home – whether or not you’re named in the tenancy agreement
• Original copies of documents that show you’re allowed to live in the UK
• That the documents are genuine and belong to you

You should be present for the checks and make sure they record the date they do it – it’ll usually happen with the first 28 days of your new tenancy.

There's a Home Office guide to how it works on the gov.uk website, including full details of which documents you'll be able to use to prove you're eligible to live in the UK.