Landlords in England face a new compliance deadline this autumn, with Right to Rent checks carrying civil penalties of up to £20,000 per occupier for repeat breaches.
The Home Office's updated guidance applies to residential tenancy agreements beginning on or after 1 October 2026.
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says landlords using electronic checks will need to be careful over which digital provider they use.
On its website, the NRLA says: "Secondary legislation introduced will make it mandatory to use a registered digital verification provider, known as a RtR DVSP, if you opt to carry out the checks electronically."
Manual document checks permitted
However, that doesn't mean every landlord must use digital verification as manual document checks can still be used where permitted.
The Home Office online checking service remains available for tenants who can prove their status through an eVisa or share code.
The change is aimed at landlords and letting agents who choose to carry out a digital Right to Rent check through a third-party service.
In those cases, the provider must be a government-registered Right to Rent Digital Verification Service Provider.
Right to Rent checks
Right to Rent checks have applied in England since 2014 and were designed to ensure only those lawfully present in the country can access the private rented sector.
Government policy has been moving steadily towards a digital immigration system since 2018, when eVisas were first issued, and the new verification requirement forms part of that wider push.
Alongside the digital changes, an updated code of practice sets out how landlords and agents should avoid discrimination when carrying out checks which help prevent the exploitation of vulnerable migrants by ‘unscrupulous landlords and letting agents’, the Home Office says.
Landlords cannot discriminate
The rules state that a tenant's nationality shouldn't be a factor, nor should ethnicity, their accent or how long someone has lived in the UK.
Landlords shouldn't make assumptions on any of those grounds and whatever check applies, that shouldn't change how they're treated either.
There's a warning too about preferring tenants who can verify their status quickly online.
Time-limited right to rent status gets a specific mention as well.
Applicants in that position, the guidance says, shouldn't find themselves treated worse than anyone else going through the process.
Potential trap for student landlords
Simon Thompson, the managing director of Accommodation for Students, said: "For England’s student landlords, this is another issue to comply with after the Renters’ Rights Act came in.
"While digital Right to Rent checks are not compulsory, landlords will need to appreciate that using a non-recognised third-party provider after 1 October could lead to a fine.”
He added: "Landlords wanting to carry out digital checks should meet the new rules and check every adult tenant in the same way, keep accurate records and avoid anything that appears to be discriminatory.”
MORE INFORMATION
The latest Right to Rent guidelines for landlords in England are available on the .Gov website.
