UK legal compliance
Right to Rent Checks for UK Tenancies
Verify a tenant's legal right to rent in the UK before the tenancy starts.
Short answer
A Right to Rent check confirms that a prospective tenant has permission to rent a home in England. Landlords must complete it before the tenancy begins.
MyChecksAI helps landlords and letting agents collect the right information, guide applicants through a secure process, and keep the result alongside the rest of the tenant reference report.
Best for
- ✓ Landlords starting a new tenancy in England
- ✓ Letting agents who need a repeatable compliance process
- ✓ Applicants who need a quick mobile-first journey
Why Right to Rent matters
Right to Rent is a legal requirement in England. A missed or poorly documented check can create compliance risk for landlords and agents, especially when applicants are moving quickly between properties.
What this check covers
Identity and document details supplied by the applicant
Passport, visa, biometric residence, or share code information where applicable
Applicant contact details and tenancy context
A clear record of the result for later review
How it works
A simple applicant journey with clear status tracking for agents and landlords.
- 1 Invite the tenant through the secure reference workflow.
- 2 The tenant completes the identity and information steps on their phone.
- 3 Right to Rent information is reviewed as part of the reference workflow.
- 4 The result is stored with the applicant report and audit trail.
What a Right to Rent check covers
A Right to Rent check is a pre-tenancy check for adult occupiers in England. It is separate from affordability, employment, landlord and identity checks, although the evidence can be reviewed alongside a wider tenant reference. The purpose is to establish whether the person is allowed to rent under the applicable Home Office process.
The result should be recorded consistently for every prospective tenant. The landlord or agent needs to use the prescribed route for the evidence available, keep the date of the check, and understand whether a follow-up check is needed. A time-limited permission should not be treated less favourably simply because a repeat check will be required.
Share codes, eVisas and the Landlord Checking Service
A tenant with an eVisa or other digital immigration status can provide a share code. The landlord or agent uses the Home Office online service to access the tenant's right to rent information and should save the result required for the statutory excuse. A share code is not, by itself, a substitute for completing the online check.
Where the online process cannot be used and the official rules allow another route, the Landlord Checking Service may provide the relevant Home Office response. The current Home Office code of practice should be followed for the tenancy start date and the applicant's circumstances.
How we fit into rent checks
myChecksAI can collect the applicant's identity and right-to-rent information and keep the outcome with the reference record. The landlord or agent remains responsible for completing the applicable Home Office check and deciding whether the evidence is sufficient for the tenancy. Our report is an organised record to support that review, not a replacement for the landlord's legal duties.
If a result is missing, expired or needs a follow-up date, the report can show that clearly so the outstanding action is visible before occupation.
Keeping a rent check clear and reviewable
A good rent check records the route used, the date it was completed, the outcome shown by the official service and any expiry or follow-up date. That detail helps a landlord or agent understand what was checked and what still needs attention before the tenancy starts. It also avoids treating a general identity document as if it answered the separate Right to Rent question.
Applicants should be told what information is needed and why. Where a share code, eVisa record or Landlord Checking Service response is used, the result should be handled securely and retained only for the period required by the applicable rules. If circumstances change, the landlord or agent should follow the current Home Office guidance rather than relying on an old result.
Questions people ask
Direct answers for landlords, agents, applicants, and search assistants comparing tenant referencing checks.
Is a Right to Rent check legally required?
Yes. Landlords in England must check a tenant's right to rent before the tenancy starts. Letting agents often handle this for their landlord clients.
Can Right to Rent be handled without a dashboard?
The day-to-day workflow can start in WhatsApp. Detailed applicant reports remain available in the dashboard for desk-based review.
Is Right to Rent included in the full tenant reference?
Yes. The full tenant reference includes Right to Rent as part of the core bundle.
What is a rent check?
A rent check confirms whether an adult tenant has permission to rent in England before the tenancy begins.
Can a tenant use a share code?
Where the tenant has digital immigration status, they can provide a share code so the landlord or agent can use the Home Office online service.
What is an eVisa?
An eVisa is a digital record of immigration status checked through the Home Office online service.
What if the online service cannot be used?
The Landlord Checking Service may be appropriate in the circumstances described by the Home Office guidance.
Does a Right to Rent check replace identity checking?
No. Right to Rent is a separate legal check and the applicable evidence and date should be recorded.
Related tenant checks
Most landlords and agents combine checks for a clearer view of compliance, affordability, and tenancy risk.