Hello, I have two tenants that I need to verify their right to rent. They have already shared their digital passports via the Open Rent referencing portal. It seems like I will have to do a manual in person check to meet the right to rent requirements. However, I live in London and the property is in Kent. Can I get a neighbour to do this for me. It seems ridiculous that there is not a digital way to verify right to rent checks for a UK citizen and it can only be done manually in person.
There are third party companies that will do this for you. The alternative is a day trip to Kent. How would you do the check-in anyway if you weren’t on site on move-in day?
Hi, I haven’t been able to find any third-party companies that do this for individuals. It seems that it’s more focused for companies and you can’t even submit your details if it’s an at live.co email address. The check-in would be done on the day by my neighbour. I think I’ll just ask him to do the right to rent checks which should be fine as my representative.
OK, let’s say something goes wrong and they’ve faked ID or whatever, how would you prove that they are your legal representative? TBH, if you can’t drive down to actually meet these tenants face to face for a viewing and check ID and do check in and manage the property, then you need an agent. It’s London to Kent, and although everyone’s situation is unique, many of us manage properties in person that are further apart than that.
But hey, you can do it by video so that’s your solution in this case.
Hello, thank you so much for your comments. I’m not planning on doing the checks by video. My neighbour is my proxy and he will see their passports and them and that will be compared to the passports I already have. He has also already met them and gave them access to the property when they came to view it. It is such a shame that there are not third-party suppliers that can do this for smaller landlords. Unfortunately, the day that they are moving in isn’t a day that I can get down there. Great for the supportive comments on here.!
well, to be fair, there are. They’re called agents. Your neighbour is taking on a huge amount of responsibility. Knowing what I do of what can go wrong with a tenancy, there’s no way I would ever consider relying on a neighbour for this, particulary with the RRB coming in soon.
Gov guidance on right to rent checks recommends landlords or their agents (and they mean licensed agents) either do it face to face or via video.
I hope all goes well for the sake of everyone involved.
Hi there, I’ve actually just read on the government site that you can appoint somebody to do this on your behalf as long as you’ve got something written between you which I have.
Here’s what the guidance actually says
Landlords may appoint an agent to conduct checks on their behalf but should keep a written agreement which should also make clear if the agent is to be responsible for the initial right to rent check and any follow-up checks for those with a time-limited right to rent.
By agent, they mean agents. And it’s illegal to act as a letting agent without being a member of a redress scheme. The n r l a have a form to transfer the responsibility from the LL to an agent and it covers a fair bit of ground including GDPR and indemnity.
Why don’t you instruct a solicitor to do it on your behalf
That will cover any legalities that a neighbour does not have the authority to fulfill
Getting someone to do it on your behalf won’t legally indemnify you unless they accept the legal liability, and with a potential £10k fine or 10 year prison term for mistakes, why would they?
There’s a lot more to check-in than handing over the keys you know. Usually lots of paperwork to sign. The inventory text and photos to check and sign with the tenant, the demonstration of the smoke and CO alarms working, (a legal requirement), answering questions about other aspects of the property etc. In my view this is not a job you just hand to a neighbour. Far too much at stake.
I don’t believe a solicitor can do it. Only Landlords or their appointed agents (as the govt understands letting agents to be).
According to Google you can do online
“you can do a Right to Rent check online for UK citizens with a valid British or Irish passport or Irish passport card by using a certified Identification Document Validation Technology (IDVT) service provider or by having your landlord use the Home Office online checking service with a share code
, though landlords cannot insist on the online service over a manual document check.
For British or Irish citizens:
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Use a certified IDVT provider:
You can use a certified IDVT service provider to carry out a digital check on your passport or Irish passport card on your behalf, which means your landlord will not need to check your physical documents.
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Use the Home Office online service with a share code:
You can also get a share code from the Home Office and provide it to your landlord for an online check. “
If you want to do manually Id expect any local letting agent will also do this for a fee.
Good luck!