Changes to Right to Rent checks

New regulations have been introduced in England to allow a digital Home Office check to be carried out on non-UK nationals to evidence their status for Right to Rent.

The system will be the same as the Right to Work system, whereby the individual will provide a share code and their date of birth.  This can then be used to access a real time Home Office system.

Some individuals may not have an immigration status that can be checked online at the current time.  Original documents for each individual must therefore continue to be checked in this instance.

The following groups of individuals may present a share code for digital checks:

• Non-EEA nationals with a current biometric resident permit or card
• EEA nationals and their family members with status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme
• Those with status under the points-based immigration system

The online system will confirm whether an individual has a continuous right to rent or if they have a time limited right to rent.  The service will advise when a further check is required for individuals with time limited right to rent.

To support the new system, the Home Office has updated the existing Code of Practice, which also now reflects changes to the status of visitor nationals from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA which came in in July 2019 (known as B5JSSK nationals).

Traditional face to face checks with individuals producing their original documents must still be carried out for any individual who cannot provide a share code.

The Home Office online system can be accessed by clicking here.  The updated Guide to Checks can be found here.