Private landlords

Right to rent

You must check that a tenant or lodger can legally rent your residential property in England.

Before the start of a new tenancy, you must make checks for tenants aged 18 and over, even if:

  • they’re not named on the tenancy agreement
  • there’s no tenancy agreement
  • the tenancy agreement isn’t in writing.

If the tenant is only allowed to stay in the UK for a limited time, you need to do the check in the 28 days before the start of the tenancy.

For more information, visit the government's right to rent web pages.