The Government has published the right-to-rent code of practice

Under new legislation landlords will be required to check the immigration status of potential tenants before agreeing a rental. There is a pilot scheme initially in the West Midlands and it is set to be rolled out across the rest of the UK by 2015.

Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire said: "The right-to-rent checks are quick and simple, but will make it more difficult for immigration offenders to stay in the country when they have no right to be here."

Landlords will need to see evidence of a person's identity and citizenship, for example a passport or biometric residence permit. The majority of landlords that currently use Makeurmove's online letting services do this already. A record will need to be retained for one year after the tenancy ends. We suggest taking a photocopy in person or more suitable take a picture and upload this to the document locker in your Makeurmove landlord account against the property along with your other tenancy documentation.

The Government have issued guidance for landlords affected by the introduction of right-to-rent immigration checks.

During the pilot phase the right-to-rent checks only apply to:

•  Landlords in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton
•  All adults aged 18 and over living at the property
•  New tenancy agreements starting on or after 1 December 2014

If you let a property after this date to someone who doesn’t have the right-to-rent, you could be fined up to £3,000.

If you need more help, call the Government landlords helpline on 0300 069 9799 or visit

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-rent-landlords-code-of-practice.

Article by Asa @ Makeurmove