Call of the Week: Right to Rent checks

A member got in touch with our expert advice team recently with a question about Right to Rent checks.

They understood changes are on the way, and with penalties high for getting such checks wrong, they wanted to learn more about exactly how they should carry out Right to Rent checks when temporary changes lift, and the timescales around when this is likely to happen. 

Our advice 

Our advisor confirmed that the 'changes to Right to Rent checks'  relate to the temporary changes that were made to the checks, introduced at the start of the pandemic last year. 

These changes had been due to end on Sunday 16th May,  however the Government announced recently that the temporary changes have now been extended, to Monday 21st June. 

Once the extended restrictions end after Sunday 20th June, pre-Covid checks will need to be made once again. 

When the first lockdown began, the Government brought in temporary changes to Right to Rent checks to allow for checks to be carried out without the need to meet in person. This was to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.  

These temporary checks meant that prior to granting a tenancy, to check a prospective tenants’ Right to Rent status, landlords could:  

• Have any prospective adult occupier submit a scanned copy or a photo of their original documents via email or using a mobile app. 

• Arrange a video call with the prospective occupier and ask them to hold up the document on screen. Check this against the copy you were sent. 

• Record the date you made the check and mark a copy of the scanned document with the phrase “an adjusted check has been undertaken on [insert date] due to COVID-19” and keep a record of this  

The NRLA will be providing a resource to help members complete face to face right to rent checks once again.

What do landlords have to do from 21st June to comply?