Making Right to Rent checks easier – we hope
Maryanne Bowring 08/10/2020
334
Since the end of March, landlords have got used to a few changes to the way Right to Rent checks are carried out. These include using video calls and scanned documents rather than originals. Right to Rent is mandatory. Landlords have to ensure that all new tenants have a legal right to live in the UK by checking their passport and any other relevant documents. The scheme has proved controversial since its launch in 2016, with critics complaining that it is time consuming and forces landlords to act as immigration officials. They also face hefty fines if they get it wrong.
But now the situation may be about to improve. A new system to make life easier for both landlords and tenants was announced at the beginning of October, with a new online Right to Rent service to be launched as early as November as part of the new Immigration (Residential Accommodation) (Prescribed Requirements and Codes of Practice) (Amendment) Order 2020 that Parliament is now scrutinising.
The new digital service will mean potential renters first viewing their home office profile online and then sharing their information with prospective landlords using a "share code" so they too can access the records. This protects people’s privacy because the landlord can only view an individual’s Right to Rent information, and won’t be able to see any other unrelated personal information.
The aim is to make it quicker and easier to carry out checks. The existing document-based system can still be used and will run in parallel to the new service until take-up is extensive enough to make the old system obsolete.
We welcome anything that will make this element of legal compliance simpler for landlords. So here at Ringley, we have done our bit too. We've added a Right to Rent checks function to our automated lettings platform PlanetRent. It’s really easy to use and you can pay-as-you-go. Click here to take a look.
info@planetrent.co.uk
0208 0599 550 (for sales)
Under Offer: This term applies to a property where the landlord is considering an offer but remains on the market. It implies that further offers may still be considered until the landlord formally accepts or declines the current offer.
Let Agreed: This term indicates that a landlord has provisionally agreed to enter into a rental agreement with a prospective tenant, pending additional checks and referencing. It doesn't require the prospective tenant to have paid a holding deposit.
Let: This term signifies an established binding rental agreement between the landlord and tenant.
For both lettings and sales, the guidance addresses additional terms:
New On The Market: This term is used for a property not advertised since its last sale or rental. It should only be used for a brief period.
New Instruction: It applies to a property assigned to an agent for marketing recently, even if it was previously listed with another agent without being sold or rented.
New and Exclusive: This term refers to a property that is either new on the market or a new instruction, exclusively available through a specific agent or portal.
New Method of Sale/Let: This term is used when a property is being marketed for sale or rent using an alternative approach to the original advertisement, such as transitioning to an auction or sealed bid.
Reduced: This term indicates that a property's price has recently been reduced. The reduction should be genuine and comply with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's guidelines on pricing practices.