Right to rent check for landlords in England
A right to rent check is one of the jobs you do before someone moves in. In England, a private landlord must check that each adult who will live in the property as their only or main home has a right to rent. Wales and Scotland have different rules. This is general information, not legal advice. If your case is unusual, speak to a solicitor or a landlord association.
The Home Office sets out how to check a tenant right to rent, which documents to accept, and when you can use a share code. You do the check yourself. Lettick doesn’t run it for you, but it records the date you did it and reminds you before a time-limited right to rent runs out, alongside the other England-only boxes: gas, electrical and EPC reminders, deposit and Information Sheet deadlines, proof you served your tenants, and a pack you copy into the PRS Database.
Who you must check
You check every adult (18 and over) who will occupy the property as their only or main home. That includes joint tenants and adults who are not named on the tenancy, or where there is no written agreement. You do not check children. Check every new tenant: it is against the law to check only people you think are not British. GOV.UK explains who counts as an occupier on the right to rent guidance.
A landlord right to rent check applies to private landlords in England. If you let through an agent, you are still responsible unless you have agreed in writing that the agent does the checks. Do not assume an agent has done the check unless you have clear proof.
When to do the check
Do the check before the tenancy starts. If someone’s permission to be in the UK is time-limited, GOV.UK says to do the check in the 28 days before the tenancy starts, and you must do a follow-up check just before the later of the end of their permission or 12 months after your previous check. GOV.UK sets out when to make a follow-up check.
Keep copies of what you saw and a dated record of the check, for as long as they are your tenants and for one year after. If you later need to show you made the check, that record is what you rely on.
Right to rent check using a share code
Many people with a digital immigration status can prove it with a share code. They generate the code on GOV.UK, then you use it to check their right to rent online.
A right to rent check using a share code is usually the cleanest route when the person has an eVisa, settled or pre-settled status, or another status stored digitally. Ask them for:
- their share code
- their date of birth
Then complete the check on GOV.UK and keep a copy of the result. Do not accept a screenshot of their status page in place of the official check. The service tells you whether they have a continuous or time-limited right to rent.
If the code does not work, go back to the person. Codes expire. They can create a new one. If they cannot produce a code, you may be able to check original documents instead, as below, or use a registered Digital Verification Service (DVS) for British and Irish passports.
Check right to rent without share code
You can still check someone’s right to rent without a share code when they hold acceptable original documents. GOV.UK lists acceptable documents for a manual check.
Typical examples (always match the current GOV.UK list, not this summary) include a British or Irish passport, or a combination of documents for people who cannot show a passport. You must see originals, not photocopies, unless GOV.UK says a particular digital route is allowed.
Steps in plain terms:
- Check the original document with the holder present, as the Home Office user guide describes.
- Check it looks genuine and belongs to them.
- Keep a clear copy and a dated record of the check.
If you are not sure a document is acceptable, do not guess. Use the Home Office landlord checking service where GOV.UK says you may, or get advice. This post cannot tell you what to do in a particular case.
Right to rent check documents
Right to rent check documents fall into groups on GOV.UK: List A (unlimited right to rent) and List B (time-limited). The user guide is the source you should keep open while you check.
Do not invent extra documents. Do not accept expired papers unless the guide says they still work. If a follow-up check is due, diary it. A time-limited result is not a one-off box.
Right to rent check online GOV.UK
A right to rent check online on GOV.UK involves three pages. Do not mix them up.
- Checking your tenant’s right to rent is the landing page for landlords: who, when, and how.
- Prove your right to rent is for the tenant to create a share code.
- Check a tenant’s right to rent: use their share code is where you, the landlord, enter that code.
If a tenant has no documents, for example while an application is outstanding, GOV.UK explains how to check whether they are allowed to rent. Use that route only as GOV.UK describes.
What to keep, and discrimination
Keep copies of documents or the online result, plus a note of the date and who you checked. Store them securely. The ICO explains how to handle personal data.
You must not discriminate. The Home Office code of practice says you should apply the same process to every adult occupier, not only people you assume are foreign nationals. Treating people differently because of nationality or race can be unlawful.
Fines can apply for each tenant if you let to someone without a right to rent and did not make the checks properly, and failing to report a tenant who fails a follow-up check is a criminal offence. The current amounts are on GOV.UK.
How this sits with your other boxes
A tenancy start is busy. Right to rent sits beside gas safety, an EICR where due, an EPC, deposit protection, the written terms (or, for tenancies from before 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet), and, when your area’s date arrives, the PRS Database. Those other duties have their own official pages, including gas safety and energy performance certificates.
Lettick is built for small private landlords in England who self-manage a modest number of homes. It will not check right to rent for you, but it keeps the date of each check and reminds you before a follow-up is due. It will also remind you about gas, EICR and EPC dates, deposit and Information Sheet deadlines, keep proof you served documents, and give you a ready-to-copy pack for the PRS Database. You still copy that pack across yourself. Lettick does not register properties on the Government database on your behalf.
If you want region dates for the database, use the free database date finder. For the wider Act, see the Renters’ Rights Act guide.
A simple order of work
Use this as a checklist, then confirm each step on GOV.UK:
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1 | List every adult who will live there as their only or main home |
| 2 | Ask each one for a share code or original documents |
| 3 | Complete the GOV.UK online check or a manual document check |
| 4 | Keep copies and the date |
| 5 | Note any follow-up if the right is time-limited (Lettick reminds you) |
| 6 | File this with your other start-of-tenancy records |
Do not skip the official lists. Document rules change. Always open GOV.UK on the day you check.
If something does not fit
Some people are in the middle of an application, have no digital status yet, or hold papers you have not seen before. GOV.UK explains what to do when a tenant has no documents. If the occupancy itself is unusual (lodgers, licences, mixed-use, company lets), get advice. Lettick does not give legal advice and does not act as a letting agent.
Keep the tone of the check the same for everyone. Explain that English law requires a right to rent check, then follow the same steps.
When the tenancy is running, your remaining work is dates: certificates, deposits, serving prescribed information, and the database when it applies to you. That is the part Lettick is for: every landlord box, ticked, on the duties it actually covers.
Try Lettick free for 14 days, then from £29 a year, if you want reminders and a copy-across pack for the database rather than another spreadsheet. Start from pricing.
Questions people ask
Do I need a share code for every right to rent check?
No. If the person has a digital status they can give you a share code and you check it on GOV.UK. If they hold acceptable original documents, you can complete a manual check without a share code, or use a registered Digital Verification Service for British and Irish passports. Always follow the current GOV.UK lists.
Can I check someone’s right to rent only from a passport photo they send?
No. For a manual check you must see acceptable original documents, in line with the Home Office user guide. For a digital check you use their share code on GOV.UK, not a screenshot of their status.
Does Lettick complete right to rent checks?
No. You (or your agent, if you have agreed that in writing) complete the check using GOV.UK. Lettick records the date of each check and reminds you before a time-limited right to rent runs out, alongside other England landlord duties such as gas, EICR and EPC reminders, deposit and Information Sheet deadlines, proof of service, and a pack you copy into the PRS Database yourself.
Is a right to rent check the same in Wales and Scotland?
No. The scheme described here is for private landlords in England. Wales and Scotland differ. Use the guidance that applies to the country where the property is.