Posted on December 1st, 2016
Read our top tips for Landlords on getting savvy with the government’s Right to Rent regulations..
From the 1st December 2016 it becomes a criminal offence if you have not checked that your tenant has the Right to Rent in the UK. If you are not checking your tenants documents you could be liable for a £3000 fine. Easiliving carry out these checks for all our let only and managed landlords but if you find your own tenants you need to ensure you are compliant.
Here are our ten tips for getting on top of the regulation:
1. Check out the Government’s Right to Rent page here .
2. Download this handy how to document and keep it on you when meeting prospective tenants.
3. Ask to see every tenants passport when they reserve the property. If there is a delay between when they reserve and when they move in, recheck documents on key release.
4. Make sure your tenancy agreement has a Right to Rent clause that explains the checks you will be making.
5. Check all new tenants. It is against the law to only check people you think aren’t British citizens.
6. Scan or copy all documents before you release keys and file securely. It is important to have valid identification documents for referencing purposes so you should be doing this anyway.
7. Use a digital calendar to generate reminders of your tenants visa expiry dates (e.g. outlook reminders, i-phone reminders)
8. If you buy a property that already has tenants in it it is your responsibility to get proof that the previous owner did the correct checks. Get proof that these checks have been done before you complete on the sale.
9. You can be fined if you don’t make a further check and your tenant’s permission to stay runs out and they are still renting your property. Depending on which is the longest, you must make a further check just before either:
10. If you are unsure whether your tenants have been able to provide legitimate documents call the Governments helpline Landlord’s helpline 0300 069 9799
If you would like some advice about how to do you Right To Rent checks or you would like to talk to us about how we can help you advertise or manage your properties give us a call on 01912814577…
