04/04/2023
At the end of March 2023, the government made public a ‘bundle’ of advice, containing the latest guidance on Right to Rent. It’s for the use of landlords and letting agents who have to carry out such checks for tenants in their properties.
While the guidance will serve to clarify the requirements and set out a step-by-step instruction of how to check a tenants’ Right to Rent, it simultaneously highlights the complex nature of the checks and the multi-step process that many landlords may find overwhelming.
A statement from the government says: “This collection provides information to make sure landlords, homeowners and letting agents carry out the necessary right to rent checks. It includes guidance on acceptable documents.”
The guide titles are:
Landlord’s guide to right to rent checks
Right to rent document checks: a user guide
Right to rent immigration checks: landlords’ code of practice
Frequent Changes to the Rules Heighten Chances of Costly Mistakes
Some of the amended documents in the Government bundle cover changes made to documentation checking as a result of the pandemic being considered at an end. Right to Rent rules were altered several times during and after the pandemic, which confused matters even more for agents and landlords who may have become unsure of what was the current best practice.
These changes would possibly make it more likely that a landlord or an agency might make a mistake with their Right to Rent checks. Which can, unfortunately, result in up to five years in prison or an uncapped fine.
It’s important for landlords and letting agencies to carry out correct Right to Rent checks in order to avoid these serious civil penalties. The push from the Government to provide further advice may be a reflection of how landlords are often finding it difficult to get a handle on Right to Rent compliancy, and an attempt to reduce the likelihood of them making mistakes when checking documentation.
Letting Agents Can Provide Tech Solutions for Peace of Mind
It can be a heavy and time-consuming burden to conduct checks for multiple tenants across a property portfolio and be sure that all the correct boxes were ticked. It can also be incredibly difficult for landlords and agents to be sure that all ID documents presented to them are legitimate, by eye alone.
There’s a simple way that letting agencies can protect themselves against non-compliance while offering peace of mind to those landlords who have concerns about Right to Rent. Know Your Customer can offer comprehensive solutions in the form of a service that provides fast Right to Rent checks, precise Enhanced ID verification, Anti-Money Laundering checks and PEPs screening, all at once.
Using a service with the technology to check ID documentation will immediately reduce the likelihood of mistakes and tick boxes for Right to Rent compliancy in a more accurate and timely manner, taking the burden and the risk off of landlords and agents who would otherwise do this manually.
Unmanaged landlords especially may struggle not to fall foul of the regulations, meaning that the ability to offer a Know Your Customer service for Right to Rent checks will provide an excellent proposition tool for gaining new landlord clients to an agency.
Fully Integrated and Automated
The Lettings Hub offer a Know Your Customer service that is designed for end-user convenience. It’s a simple journey for the tenant that saves valuable time for the agent. Designed to maximise completion while minimizing the landlord or agents’ involvement with the process.
Our Enhanced Identity verification solution includes:
- Identity verification
- Residency verification
- Facial biometric checks
- Liveness checks
- ID document verification
- Proof of address documents authentication
- Digital footprint searches
This range can fit the risk needs of any business. It’s a flexible solution to suit each client’s needs.
How it Makes Right to Rent Checks Easier
From the 1st of October 2022 letting agents and landlords have no longer been able to use adjusted right to rent rules that allowed them to complete checks using video calls and document copies. However, current legislation allows agents to digitise 75% of their right to rent checks, removing a significant admin burden.
The Lettings Hubs Know Your Customer service is government certified and follows a risk-based approach that is fully compliant with all legislative requirements. Therefore, this solution can offer complete peace of mind to landlords that tenants without the appropriate Right to Rent will be identified before they enter a tenancy. We offer a fraud protection guarantee, and we are so confident on our product that we provide a promise to pay any home office fines that an agent would receive as a result of any tenant we approve.
We take the stress out of Right to Rent checks by using facial biometrics and Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT). This provides our clients with a comprehensive report for UK & Irish Nationals. We also check share codes for tenants with Biometric Passports or Residence Codes, taking another item off the “to do” list.