Right to rent checks are compulsory. To carry out the check, landlords should:
- Ask the prospective tenants for original documents that evidence their right to live in the UK (such as a passport, residency card or registration certificate).
- Check to see whether this grants the tenant a right to rent and that the documents provided are genuine and belong to the tenant
- These checks should be carried out with the tenant physically present (there have been exceptions during Coronavirus)
Alternatively, if a tenant provides the landlord with a share code, the landlord can check the tenant's right to rent using the online right to rent service.
Landlords are also responsible for making follow-up checks.
Read more about right to rent checks.