How to Run a Right to Rent Check and Diary the Follow-Up Date

The initial Right to Rent check happened at referencing — or half-happened — and the copies now sit in a WhatsApp folder with no check date and no follow-up diary. Before keys in England, list every adult who will use the home as only or main home, run one prescribed check route, retain dated copies or the online profile, and diary any List B or time-limited follow-up before the eligibility period ends.

One flat in Manchester. Ellis photocopies the named tenant’s British passport at keys, never asks the partner for a right-to-rent share code, and never writes a follow-up date. Six months later the partner’s leave runs out. There is no dated check file and no diary. Typical mistake: treat “the person on the AST” as the whole household. The risk is a mid-tenancy leave end with no dated trail.

For time-limited permission, GOV.UK follow-up checks say do the follow-up just before the later of leave end or 12 months after the previous check. Diarise that later date the day you file the initial check.

Disclaimer: IziRento is operations software, not legal advice. Local tenancy rules vary; check a qualified adviser for binding decisions.

Who must you check before you hand over the keys?

Before a new tenancy in England, check every adult aged 18 or over who will use the property as their only or main home — including adults not named on the agreement and oral or implied tenancies. Do not only check people you think are not British; apply the same process to every adult in that household.

Ask who will live there. If unsure, treat them as only/main home and check. GOV.UK Right to Rent documents is plain on that test. Written consent for a permitted occupier is a different file — see the permitted-occupier permission file — but adults living as only/main home still need a Right to Rent check even if they are not on the AST.

Which prescribed route do you use for each adult?

Pick one prescribed route per adult: original List A or List B documents with the person present (in person or by video); a registered Digital Verification Service where allowed for eligible British or Irish cases; or a Home Office online check with a right-to-rent share code and date of birth. For time-limited permission, do the initial check in the 28 days before the tenancy starts. For example, List A supports a continuous statutory excuse for that tenancy; List B a time-limited one.

Do not accept a biometric residence card or permit as physical proof — ask for a share code. GOV.UK how to check sets the three routes. Use the landlord share-code view at gov.uk/view-right-to-rent and match the photo to the person. British and Irish citizens cannot get a share code — use manual or DVS instead. If documents and share code fail in prescribed cases, use the Landlord Checking Service before letting.

How do you file the dated copies and check date?

The same day you check, do file the statutory-excuse trail: clear unalterable copies (front and back where needed) or a saved online profile PDF or print. Do write the check date on the copy or a paired record; note which adult and which route. That stamp shows when the prescribed check happened.

For manual checks, see originals with the tenant present, keep copies, and record the date. For online checks, save the profile and record the check date. Landlord’s guide to Right to Rent checks asks for clear copies that cannot be manually altered.

When do you diary the List B follow-up?

Follow-up is required when permission is time-limited. Do it just before the later of the end of permission to stay or 12 months after the previous check. No follow-up when there is no time limit. Do write that diary date the day you file the initial check.

The Code of Practice titled for checks from 1 October 2026 frames an “eligibility period”: the longest of one year from the last check, the permission expiry, or the evidencing document’s expiry. Follow up before that ends. Do set the reminder early enough to arrange the check. After a Positive Right to Rent Notice from the Landlord Checking Service, do file the response and diary a further check before the usual 12-month excuse ends. Workflow: initial check in the 28-day window → save dated evidence → calculate later of leave end or 12 months → diary → follow up → file the new dated trail.

How long do you keep the Right to Rent trail?

Keep the copies or online profile securely for the tenancy and at least one year after it ends, then destroy them securely. Repeat copy-and-date for every follow-up. Do set a destroy-by date next to the check trail.

Broader retention sits on the tenant record retention schedule. GOV.UK how to check cites a fine of up to £20,000 per tenant for renting without the right to rent.

What if the follow-up fails or they cannot prove continued right?

If a follow-up shows the occupier can no longer legally rent in England, or they will not cooperate with a prescribed check, tell the Home Office. Report as soon as reasonably practicable and before the time-limited excuse expires; keep the unique reference number.

Reporting after a proper initial check maintains the statutory excuse for that gap. Reporting does not cure a missing initial pre-tenancy check. The Code of Practice (1 October 2026) is explicit on both. Stop here for possession packs. Success bar: every adult listed, one prescribed route done, dated copies or profile on file, follow-up diaried when time-limited, retention noted. Verify that checklist before you treat the file as closed. An IziRento workspace can hold the lease, dated check note, and follow-up reminder on one property record — assistive ops only. Start a workspace if you want that reminder next to the tenancy pack.