Right to Rent Checks: Manchester Landlord Guide

Every adult aged 18 or over who will occupy the property as their main home must be checked. That includes:

• The named tenant on the tenancy agreement
• Any other adult who will live there
• Lodgers in your own home (if you take in a lodger, you are the landlord for Right to Rent purposes)
• Subtenants where you have consented to the sub-let

You do not check children under 18 or visitors who will not occupy as their main home. You do not check existing tenants when renewing a tenancy with the same household, although you may need to repeat a follow-up check if their immigration leave is time-limited.

From 2026, three routes are valid:

• Manual check. See the original document (passport, biometric residence permit, etc.) in the prospective tenant's presence, take a copy, sign and date it. Requires physical presence or a video call where the original is shown live on screen.
• Online check via the Home Office service. The tenant gives you a share code from their UK Visas and Immigration account, and you verify their status at gov.uk/view-right-to-rent. This is the standard route for non-British and non-Irish nationals with digital immigration status.
• Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT). Use an approved Identity Service Provider (IDSP) to verify a British or Irish passport remotely. The IDSP confirms the document is genuine and belongs to the holder. PropReady integrates with approved IDSPs.

You cannot accept a photocopy on its own, scanned documents emailed in advance, or a photo taken on the tenant's phone. Either see the original in person, run the online check, or use IDVT.

Acceptable List A documents (unlimited right to rent):

• UK or Irish passport (current or expired)
• UK or Irish birth certificate together with an official photo ID
• Indefinite Leave to Remain (BRP) or pre-settled status documents
• Naturalisation certificate plus photo ID

Acceptable List B documents (time-limited right to rent):

• Visa giving leave for a fixed period
• BRP showing a limited leave end date
• Certificate of application from the Home Office (with positive verification through the Landlord Checking Service)

Where you use a List B document, you must carry out a follow-up check before the leave expires or 12 months from the initial check, whichever is later.

Several situations come up regularly in Manchester:

• International students: typically hold a Student visa (limited leave). Run the online check and store the share-code result. Schedule the follow-up check for the visa expiry date.
• Refugees and asylum seekers: if they hold refugee status or humanitarian protection, they have the right to rent. Asylum seekers without status do not, but a property let by social services for them is exempt.
• EU citizens with pre-settled or settled status: online check via share code is the standard route. Pre-settled status requires a follow-up check before the pre-settled status expires.
• HMO room lets: check every adult occupant separately. Each occupier is a separate Right to Rent duty.
• Student houses let to a group: some councils treat the property as the group's joint tenancy, but the check obligation runs for each adult occupier. Check all of them.

If any occupier holds a List B (time-limited) right to rent, you must carry out a follow-up check before either:

• The expiry date of their immigration leave, or
• 12 months from the initial check date, whichever is later

If the follow-up check shows no continuing right to rent, you must report the occupier to the Home Office within a reasonable time using the gov.uk reporting tool. You then become eligible for the statutory excuse: the civil penalty is removed provided you take steps to end the tenancy in a reasonable time.

The civil penalty regime from 2024 onwards:

• First breach: up to £5,000 per lodger, up to £10,000 per occupier
• Repeat breach within three years: up to £10,000 per lodger, up to £20,000 per occupier
• Knowing or reckless breach: criminal offence with unlimited fine and up to five years' imprisonment

You have a statutory excuse if you carried out the check correctly and kept the record for the duration of the tenancy plus one year (HMRC advises five years for tax purposes). The excuse only protects you if the check was actually compliant; a partial or sloppy check does not qualify.

Practical sequence for a new tenancy:

1. At application stage: ask for the prospective tenant's nationality and immigration status route
2. Run the appropriate check (IDVT for British and Irish, online share code for digital status, manual for paper documents)
3. Save the time-stamped result to the tenant's file before signing the tenancy agreement
4. Diary the follow-up check date (visa expiry or 12 months later)
5. Repeat the check before the diary date if leave is time-limited
6. Keep records for the duration of the tenancy plus at least one year

PropReady automates the diary entries, stores the time-stamped check evidence, and notifies you 30 days before follow-up checks fall due.