Right to rent refers to the obligation on landlords to check that each person aged 18 or over is legally entitled to rent property in the UK before they move in.
All tenants 18+ must be checked. It’s against the law to only check people you think are not British citizens. You must not discriminate against anyone because of where they’re originally from.
If a prospective tenant cannot prove this, they cannot move into the rental property.
This is a complicated area, and it is possible to delegate the responsibility to a letting agent. However, bear in mind that if you use an online letting agent such as OpenRent, you will need to do the checks of the original documents yourself.
Further resources
Landlord guide to right to rent – Home Office guidance dated April 2022.
Check your tenant’s right to rent – useful official government guidance
Immigration documents guide – Home Office guidance for landlords and tenants
Right to rent checker – official government website to check if an individual with a share code has the right to rent.
You may also find useful
How to find renters without letting agents
Managing rental properties – is it really that hard?
