Right to Rent Introduced 1st February

The Right to Rent legislation, introduced in select UK cities since 2014, was officially rolled out across England on the 1st of February 2016, bringing new considerations to private landlords or their managing agencies when letting a property. We like to keep our landlords up-to-date on anything relating to their investments, so here is a bit more information.

You'll be pleased to know that Living in London was well prepared for this initiative as we're already in the practice of completing thorough tenant checks through our preferred referencing company. We have been and will continue to gather all important documents so you don't have to, ensuring you're fully covered and informed during the lettings process.

A recent report from The Guardian Money found that 7 in 10 landlords were unclear about their obligations to now check the immigration status of new tenants. Those who fail to do so will face fines of £1,000 on the first instance and an escalated fee of £3,000 thereafter. These checks are similar to what employers carry out when hiring an applicant outside of the UK, and will ensure that your tenant is fully able to remain and live in the country.

You can read the full UK.gov Code of Practice here, but here is a sample of key documents that will help prove a tenant's status to let property in England:

- A passport issued by the UK, Switzerland or any EEA country

- An international passport with a government issued visa

- Permanent residence card

- Biometric Residence Permits

- Asylum Registration Card

For a full list, please refer to section 5.2.

If you have any questions at all, our team are fully versed on the new legislation and are happy to speak about how we can help. Of course, if we're already managing your property, we will take care of these checks for you both in-house and through our relationship with an industry leading referencing service.