Right to Rent share code: the landlord's guide

What a share code actually is

A share code is a temporary key, not a status document. The tenant creates it on GOV.UK, it lasts 90 days, and it lets one landlord open the Home Office record that sits behind it. When you enter the code together with the tenant's date of birth, you see a profile page: a photograph, the tenant's name, whether they can rent in England, and whether that permission has a time limit.

Because the record is held by the Home Office rather than by you, an online check gives you a statutory excuse against a civil penalty in a way that a photocopied passport never quite did. That is why the online route is now the default for anyone with a biometric residence permit, an eVisa, settled or pre-settled status, or a visa granted digitally.

Codes are case insensitive and are usually shown in three blocks of three, for example W5A KG9 3T2. Ignore the spaces when you type them in. If the service tells you the code is not recognised, the usual cause is an expired code or a date of birth typed in the wrong order, not a fake code.

The check, step by step

1. 1

   Ask for the code before you sign anything

   Request the share code and date of birth at referencing stage, alongside employment and previous landlord references. Checking after the tenant has moved in leaves you exposed for the period in between.

2. 2

   Open the landlord checking service on GOV.UK

   Search for 'view a tenant's right to rent'. Enter the code, the tenant's date of birth and your own name and email. There is no fee and no account to create.

3. 3

   Match the photograph to the person

   You must be satisfied the photograph is of the tenant. In person is simplest. A live video call is acceptable, and is common for overseas applicants, but a photograph emailed to you is not.

4. 4

   Read the status carefully

   A time limited permission means a follow up check is due. An unlimited permission, such as settled status or indefinite leave, means no repeat check is needed for that tenant.

5. 5

   Save the profile page the same day

   Download the PDF or take a full screenshot that shows the photograph and the date. Name the file with the tenant's name and the check date so it is obvious years later.

6. 6

   Repeat for every adult occupier

   The duty covers every adult who will use the property as their only or main home, including people who are not named on the tenancy agreement. Under 18s are outside the scheme.

When a share code is not the right route

British and Irish citizens do not have an online status to share. They prove their right to rent with a British or Irish passport, an Irish passport card, or a combination such as a birth certificate plus an official document showing a National Insurance number. You may also use a certified Identity Service Provider, which checks a British or Irish passport digitally and issues you a report.

A small number of people have neither documents nor a digital status, often while an application or appeal is outstanding. In that case you request a Home Office landlord checking service request rather than a share code, and you receive a yes or no answer within two working days. Keep that response in exactly the same way you would keep a profile page.

Follow up checks and time limited status

If the profile page shows a status that expires, your statutory excuse expires with it. The follow up check is due when the permission runs out, or when the tenancy continues beyond that date, whichever comes first. If the tenant no longer has a right to rent, you must report it to the Home Office rather than quietly doing nothing, because the penalty risk sits with you from that point on.

This is where portfolios drift. A gas safety certificate has an obvious annual rhythm. A follow up Right to Rent check lands on an arbitrary date two or three years after a tenant moved in, long after anyone is thinking about referencing. A dated reminder attached to the tenant record, not a note in a diary, is the only reliable fix.

Penalties, and what inspectors ask for

Civil penalties were raised in February 2024. A first breach can reach £5,000 per occupier, and repeat breaches within three years can reach £10,000 per occupier. Where a landlord knew or had reasonable cause to believe the property was let to a disqualified person, the matter can be prosecuted rather than fined.

In practice nobody asks whether you carried out a check. They ask you to produce the evidence. That means a dated profile page per adult occupier, held for the tenancy plus one year, retrievable without hunting through an email inbox. If you cannot produce it, you effectively did not do the check.

How RentDocs.co.uk keeps the trail

RentDocs.co.uk is a UK landlord compliance platform, so Right to Rent evidence sits in the same vault as your gas, EICR, EPC and tenancy paperwork rather than in a separate folder somewhere.

• Upload the saved profile page against the individual tenant, not just the property, so a joint tenancy shows one record per adult.
• Record the check date and any status expiry date, and get a reminder before a follow up check falls due.
• See at a glance which occupiers are evidenced and which are outstanding, using the same red, amber and green view as the rest of your compliance.
• Send the whole tenancy pack, including statutory documents, to tenants and to yourself in one click, with a timestamped record of what was sent.
• Keep a full communication log for the Ombudsman, so the check sits alongside every message about the tenancy.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Right to Rent share code?

It is a nine character code, usually written in three blocks such as W5A KG9 3T2, that a tenant generates on GOV.UK so a landlord can view their immigration status online. The code proves nothing on its own. It simply unlocks the Home Office record that you then check and save.

Where does the tenant get the code?

The tenant visits the GOV.UK page called 'prove your right to rent' and signs in with their date of birth plus their biometric residence permit number, passport number or eVisa account. GOV.UK then shows them a share code they can send you by email or text.

How long is a share code valid?

A share code expires 90 days after the tenant creates it. If you receive an older code you cannot complete the check, so ask the tenant to generate a fresh one rather than trying to reuse it.

Do I still need to see a passport?

No. If the tenant holds a digital immigration status, the online check replaces document copies and you should not ask for the physical document as well. British and Irish citizens are different: they still prove status with a passport, an Irish passport card, or a certificate of registration, or through an Identity Service Provider.

What proof do I keep after an online check?

Save the 'profile' page produced by the landlord checking service as a PDF or a clear screenshot. It must show the tenant's photograph and the date you carried out the check. Keep it for the whole tenancy and for one year after it ends.

What is the penalty for skipping a Right to Rent check?

Civil penalties rose sharply in February 2024. A first breach can reach £5,000 per occupier and repeat breaches can reach £10,000 per occupier, with higher figures for HMOs and lettings agents who take on the responsibility. Criminal prosecution is possible where a landlord knowingly rents to someone disqualified.

Does Right to Rent apply in Scotland and Wales?

The scheme is currently in force in England only. Landlords in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not carry out Right to Rent checks, although identity and referencing checks are still good practice.