Right to Rent, Landlords responsibility

16th January 2016

By Maria Stafford Property Manager Anthony Webb Estate Agents Palmers Green

As the Property Manager for Anthony Webb Estate Agents I have to now carry out further checks for prospective tenants. From 1st February 2016, landlords and agents have to carry out the Right to Rent check. The new law hopes to prevent illegal residents from remaining in the UK. If a tenant does not have the right to rent in the UK and a tenancy agreement has been offered to them without carrying out the Right to Rent check, then a civil penalty of up to £3,000 can be demanded from landlords and agents.

Due to these new regulations, our management team have been fully trained by the National Landlords Association so that we can correctly carry out these checks on all new tenants. During our training we were taught what documents need to be recorded, how these documents should be recorded by our agency and how to check for forged documents.

The process for the Right to Rent consists of;

✔ Checking all adult tenants who will be living in the property.

✔ Asking all prospective tenants for their original documents that prove they have the right to live in the UK.

✔ Checking all original documents with the tenant present. This is vital to ensure that the documents are valid.

As an agency we are expected to report any occupant or prospective tenant who no longer has the Right to Rent or provides us with forged documents to the Home Office.

After our training at the NLA, Anthony Webb Estate Agents have revised the regulations so that the checks can be carried out accordingly. Our process consists of;

• Any prospective tenant providing us with their documents preferably before any referencing has started.

• The documents are checked in person, copied clearly and signed and dated by ourselves and the tenant.

• The signed documents are then kept on file throughout the tenancy.

An additional service that we have acquired is the Right to Rent check via our reference company.

Once the tenants have been accepted for the property and the reference is being carried out, our company provides a further service for analysing the documents. Scanned copies of the signed documents are uploaded under the tenant’s reference and their document information is manually inputted into their system. This service confirms whether the documents provided are valid and if they have been tampered with or forged. Also, the reference company sets a reminder under the tenant’s reference when their documents are due to expire. Two months before the expiration is due, our reference company will inform us for any further checks needed.

The Right to Rent check is a positive regulation in the eyes of landlords and agents. The new law guarantees to help landlords and agencies to protect their properties and to ensure that their property is safeguarded.

Although new legislation can sometimes sound daunting to private Landlords using an established and trusted Estate Agent to let out your property can relieve the stress and ensure that your tenancy runs as smoothly as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions relating to Right to Rent or if you have a property that you are considering letting out, we would be happy to give you a free property valuation and talk you through the process.

For more information visit the Home Office website.