New Updates to Right to Rent Check Rules 

Landlords renting out a property in England have a legal duty to carry out Right to Rent checks. But even experienced London landlords should not take the process for granted – a new code of practice came into effect on 1 October 2026. In a nutshell, the Right to Rent changes mean you should take additional care to avoid discrimination, and ensure any digital checks meet newly outlined standards. 

Right to Rent checks are the landlord’s responsibility, ensuring that you only rent to potential tenants with the right to live and rent in the UK. Though you don’t have to carry out the checks personally. You can appoint an agent to carry out Right to Rent checks on your behalf, and they will then take on responsibility for compliance. 

There are various ways to approach it, such as a manual Right to Rent check, by checking a Home Office online share code, or through a digital verification service provider (DVSP). However, if you use a digital verification service to carry out identity checks, then pay close attention to the latest government Right to Rent guidance.  

Under the new code of practice, it’s up to the landlord (or their agent, if appointed to handle Right to Rent) to ensure that they are using a registered Right to Rent DVSP. The rule also applies to facial recognition technology. In other words, landlords can’t use simply any technology – only a registered digital verification service provider. 

It’s not just a matter of preference, as certain routes are only available to certain renters – British and Irish renters aren’t issued with share codes, for example. The newly updated Right to Rent guidance on discrimination makes it clear that landlords should not favour potential tenants based on how easily you can verify their status. Neither can you discriminate for other reasons, you must carry out checks consistently for all applicants.  

With this in mind, it’s the ideal moment for Central London landlords to review their own Right to Rent check policy is in line with it the updated guidance. 

Read more on the Guild of Residential Landlords.  

Find the full Right to Rent code of practice on gov.uk.