Letting Agents Sheffield

The Right to Rent policy is going through somewhat of a digital revolution

There are currently 3 processes the Government will use to verify right to rent.  The process to be used largely depends on the status and country of origin of the tenant

There have been significant changes that have occurred from the 6 April 2022. This post looks at what the current regulations are as well as the planned changes

The three processes currently in place are as follows:

 

 

 

IDSP (British and Irish Passport Holders)

Identity Service Providers (IDSPs) using Identification Document Validation Technology will be able to conduct right to rent checks on behalf of British and Irish citizens. IDSP’s will allow people to remotely validate their right to rent, which will reduce the processing time for landlords, agents and tenants

This procedure was meant to go live on 6 April 2022. However, there are currently no valid providers due to delays in the Government’s vetting process

Therefore, currently the procedure for the right to rent checks are in line with the Covid changes, meaning that landlords can make checks through a video call and the tenant can send scanned documents through. Tenants can also provide valid documents in face to face meetings too. Guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-landlord-right-to-rent-checks

Note that this procedure will stop on 30 September 2022, by which time hopefully IDSPs will be in operation

Home Office Right to Rent Check (EU/international)

Most EU/EEA/Swiss citizens will have documents that prove their right to rent under the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) or a biometric resident permit which gives authorised persons a code which proves their settled status. In addition to this code, you will need the tenant’s date of birth, before using the Government’s checker here

For those tenants who do not have a ‘share code’ you can check original visa documentation. You can find a list of all valid original documents here; https://www.gov.uk/landlord-immigration-check

Note: Biometric residence permits and passes (BRP’s) after the 6 April will not confirm a tenants right to work or rent. The digitalisation of the process is forming and tenants will now need to prove their right to rent online using the service found at; https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-rent

Home Office Landlord Checking Service (additional verification required)

The Home Office provide a right to rent check if after looking at their documentation, additional verification is required. This is likely due to the application still being processed by the home office or the home office is holding the prospective tenants’ documents

If this is the case, then you can request a Right to Rent check by the Home Office. This Form can be found at; https://eforms.homeoffice.gov.uk/outreach/lcs-application.ofml

The Government in their guidance notes state that a landlord will get an answer within 2 working days.

 

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