As of 1st February, landlords, letting agents and tenant services have been required to conduct immigration checks on all prospective tenants under the Right to Rent scheme. It is vital that you comply with the legislation, as you may face a penalty if you are found renting a property to an illegal immigrant.
Under the Immigration Act 2014, landlords and agents must check the identity documents of all prospective tenants to make sure they have the right to rent in the UK.
Remember to Comply with Right to Rent Rules!
Shockingly, 90% of landlords are still unaware of this legal requirement. As regulations within the private rental sector are changing constantly, it may be a good idea to use an agent or referencing agency to conduct the checks on your behalf.
If you do pass responsibility onto someone else, you must have proof in writing of your agreement so that you are not liable for a penalty.
LandlordReferencing.co.uk uses Jumio to validate identification documents of potential tenants. This service allows the agency to perform quick and simple immigration checks, providing landlords and letting agents with peace of mind.
The CEO of LandlordReferencing.co.uk, Paul Routledge, explains how the service works: “At LandlordReferencing.co.uk, we’re all about giving our letting agents and landlords peace of mind that they are complying with the new regulation, while also delivering a faster and easier ID check for their tenants.
“Helping landlords and letting agencies verify the veracity of their tenants’ documents can be a challenging work. Jumio’s Netverify offers LandlordReferencing.co.uk the in-depth expertise needed for performing checks of IDs from over 130 countries, without hindering the user experience.”
Jumio’s Catherine Hickey adds: “Complying with the Right to Rent legislation, while also delivering a customer-friendly experience, has never been more important for referencing agencies, landlords and letting agents.
“The benefits of verifying IDs in a simple and easy way are extremely valuable to companies such as LandlordReferencing.co.uk, letting agents, landlords and tenants alike.”
If you are planning to conduct the checks yourself, you must have a procedure in place for all new tenancies going forward. It is believed that criminal sanctions will be introduced under the Immigration Bill, which is currently going through Parliament – stick to the law to avoid facing penalties!
Also, be aware that the Government’s guidance on the scheme could be soon to change. We will keep you updated on all changes to landlord law.