Hi all, I’m going through the reference process with tenants that have the right to rent in the UK until February 2027 (they are on a work visa). Is that okay or should I be mindful of anything?
Thanks
Did you get their sharecodes and dates of birth and download a PDF of their rights to rent online?
You have to validate both their ID and right to rent
Also you have to do follow up checks and can be fined or go to prison if they fail it and you don’t report them to Home Office
“Do the follow-up check just before the date that’s the later of:
-the end of your tenant’s permission to stay in the UK
-12 months after your previous check
You must tell the Home Office if you find out that your tenant can no longer legally rent property in England after doing a follow-up check.
You could be fined or sent to prison for up to 5 years if your tenant fails a follow-up check and you do not report it to the Home Office.”
Last but not least, if they disappear abroad it may be impossible to recover any rent arrears or debts. If they haven’t been resident in uk for 3 years you may find it more difficult to get rent guarantee insurance (eg I know Alan Boswell insist on 3 years worth of credit checks and no CCJs to be eligible for their RGI).
Sorry if all ridiculously obvious
Best
@David240 thanks for your insights. Could I just do a tenancy agreement from April 2026 until the right‑to‑rent of one of the tenants expires (i.e. February 2027), and then, if everything is fine, extend it?
Yes I did and it’s all good but for one of the two tenants the right to rent expires in Feb 2027
er… no.
Read up on the RRA. From May 1st, all tenancies become monthly periodic. Before the current right to rent period expires, ask the T for a new share code to check their status. If it isn’t extended, you can serve a S8 under Ground 7B (No right to rent):
Ground 7B notice period
You will need to give 2 weeks’ notice before you will be able to apply to the court for a possession order to evict your tenant.
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As @tatemono says that doesn’t work because from 1 may all ASTs turn into monthly periodic tenancies without an end date. Under Renters Rights Act there is no more fixed length tenancies or extensions. May help if you do some reading about RRA and/or do some training.
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@tatemono @David240 thank you both - So I will be an accidental landlord starting from April. I have a flat in London that I’m about to rent out. I received a few offers and selected a couple of applicants from China. Both are in permanent employment with good references, but one of the tenants’ right to rent expires at the end of February 2027. She is expected to obtain permanent settlement in mid‑February 2027. Is there anything I’m missing in choosing these tenants? The tenancy agreement has not been signed yet.
specifically on the right to rent front, if you have their IDs and have checked right to rent, you’re good to go.
Because it’s related, it would be wise for you to be registered with the ICO and create a standard data collection form (ask AI to take you through a Q&A to design one that suits your needs) to have the Ts sign as you’ve got their data.
We cannot possibly assess from here whether there’s anything else you’re missing. There are a huge number of things to get right when it comes to letting. I would strongly suggest you join a landlord association and do their training to get accredited. It’s not expensive but could save you thousands… and it’s a tax deductable expense.
You may be a landlord accidentally, but no landlord remains ignorant accidentally.
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Sounds sensible. Any association you can recommend?
As per @tatemono advice I would def advise joining a landlord association and getting some training. Eg nrla
Have you considered using an agent to manage everything?
Sounds like you have done the screening yourself - there’s lots of lists of questions out there search on ‘questions to ask tenants’
In terms of things you must do, read through ‘How to rent: the checklist for renting in England’ and also search on ‘Landlord checklist’
Make sure you understand and have evidence of their income
In terms of ‘optional’ things I would strongly recommend getting referencing reports (checks credit history whether their income is as claimed, if they have CCJs etc) and Landlord insurance- the building insurance may be by a freeholder but you should consider insurance for your contents, legal cover for expenses if you need to evict etc, rent guarantee insurance. Also worth considering whether to have emergency cover (either add on to insurance policy or the likes of BG home serve) for when/if a boiler breaks down in the middle of winter.
Don’t just do everything online - you need to meet and trust them and make sure you think they will take care of your property properly- cleaning ventilating etc.
Once you have decided on someone you need to agree with them things like frequency of inspections, how/when best to communicate, any issues relating to the property itself (eg whether ok for them to put up pictures/nails into walls)
Good luck
@David240 I’m doing everything through OpenRent, including the referencing. Of course I met the prospective tenants.
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@Giorgio4 sorry if v obvious you did say you were new /accidental & asked what you might be missing …
I think I miss experience in choosing the right tenants given it’s the first time I’m doing it.
Anyone with even 1 day of right to rent remaining can currently be given a tenancy of up to 12 months. I am not sure how/whether this changes after 1 May.
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I completely get the anxiety around picking the right tenant for the first time, as I was in the exact same “accidental landlord” boat a while back. OpenRent’s referencing is solid, but regarding David’s point about the May 1st changes, I’d be incredibly cautious right now with limited Right to Rent visas. Since fixed-term tenancies are being abolished and everything becomes a rolling contract, dealing with an expired visa down the line could become an absolute nightmare. Joining the NRLA like the others suggested is honestly the best money I’ve spent just to keep my head above water with all these crazy law changes!
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@Mint_Handover thank you for sharing your experience. I found out the visa expiring in Feb 2027 throughout the referencing process.
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