I have prospective tenants that are British but not living in the UK, they have found my ad and want to rent but how do I manage the right to rent and employment checking if they are not physically in the UK as yet?
If you put their details in, then there is a goverment website that will tell you if they have the right to rent. Can they give you details of their earnings. Do they have a job to come to?
As OpenRent is an online agency is it the responsibility of the landlord to physically check the passport photo against the actual person?
Yes…If you work on the principle that the landlord is responsible for everything you will not go far wrong
Hi Chris,
Employment Checking
Tenant referencing will give you information on the tenants’ employment.
You can order it here for just £20 or as part of rent now.
Right to Rent
Even with high street letting agents, the assumption is that the landlord is responsible for the right to rent checks.
Here is a guide including which documents count as proving the right to rent in the UK.
Sam
This has not really answered the question, how do you physically check the passport if they currently live abroad? would you just suggest we put the clause in to cancel the agreement if there is a problem with right to rent? does anyone know about this clause?
Hi Chris, OK sure here’s more info.
As the guide says, the only way to perform a right to rent check is to inspect the documents presented in the presence of the tenant. There is no other way.
There’s no need to use such a clause because, without the valid documentation, the tenancy would not be legal anyway.
You could manage the risk by asking to see scans of the relevant documents the tenants plan to use at the right to rent check when they get to the UK, but this is no legal substitute for performing the checks as described in the guide.
Sam