If you are renting a property in England you need to complete right to rent checks on tenants. The Home Office released an important update to view and prove status share codes yesterday which impact those tenants who share a code to allow you to view and prove their 'right to rent' a property.

The changes are around whether you are checking the 'right to rent' or 'right to work'.

The changes affect share codes provided by tenants for the purposes of a digital right to rent check. Individuals using View and Prove must select one of three options for sharing their immigration status:

·  To prove their right to rent in England

·  To prove their right to work in the UK

·  For another reason

Each share code can only be used for the purpose it was originally selected for. For example, a share code generated to prove an individual's right to rent in England can only be used in the 'View a tenant's right to rent in England' online service. If the same code is entered into the 'View a job applicant's right to work details' service, the share code will not work.

What are the changes?

All share codes now begin with a letter denoting the purpose it can be used for:

·  'R' - this will indicate that the share code has been generated by an individual to evidence their right to rent.

·  'W' - this will indicate that the share code has been generated by an individual to evidence their right to work.

·  'S' - this will indicate that a share code has been generated for another reason other than rent or work.

This will enable landlords, letting agents and tenants to be confident that the correct share code has been generated, and avoid confusion when using the services.

On receipt of the share code, landlords and letting agents should continue to use the 'View a tenant's right to rent in England' online service.

The validity period of share codes has been extended from 30 to 90 days. This means that, from 17 February 2022, any new share code generated via any part of the Home Office online service can be used for 90 days.

We hope you found this helpful however if you have no idea what we’re talking about and you need our help please contact the office.

We are here and ready to help.

Gemma Scott- Davies

Lettings Manager

gemmascott@mandmprop.co.uk

01474 321957