In England, since 30 March 2020, the right to rent guidance has been amended to allow for checks to be carried out in ways other than face to face.
The guidance has been further extended until 31 August 2021 5 April 2022. From 6 April 2022, checks will revert to pre-pandemic rules (unless extended again, as seems to be regular and common).
The following changes apply until 5 April 2022 (inclusive):
- checks can be carried out over video calls
- tenants can send scanned documents or a photo of documents for checks using email or a mobile app, rather than sending originals
- landlords should use the Landlord Checking Service if a prospective or existing tenant cannot provide any of the accepted documents
Checks continue to be necessary and you must continue to check the prescribed documents set out in Landlords Guide to Right to Rent or use the Home Office right to rent online service.
For the full temporary Coronavirus guidance, please see here.
There is no requirement to carry out retrospective checks on those who had a COVID-19 adjusted check between 30 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 5 April 2022 (inclusive).
We have additional information about Right to Rent here, and the Coronavirus Hub is updated regularly.
