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Right to rent share code: landlord guide 2026 | August
Right to rent share code: landlord guide 2026
The right to rent check is one of the most important compliance steps a landlord in England must complete before letting a property. Introduced in 2014 and extended nationwide in 2016, the scheme requires landlords to confirm that prospective tenants have legal permission to rent residential property in England. Central to the process is the right to rent share code, the digital tool that has become the main way of checking immigration status now that physical residence cards have been phased out.
Getting the check right protects you from civil penalties of up to £10,000 per occupier, or £20,000 for repeat breaches, and in serious cases from criminal prosecution. This guide explains what a share code is, how tenants generate one, how you check it, and how to stay compliant as the rules stand in 2026.
What is the right to rent?
The right to rent is a legal requirement under the Immigration Act 2014. It obliges landlords in England to confirm that every adult who will occupy a rental property as their main home has permission to be in the UK. The aim is to make it harder for people without legal status to access private rented accommodation.
The scheme applies only in England. Landlords in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not required to carry out right to rent checks.
If you let to someone who does not have the right to rent and you have not checked properly, you can face a civil penalty. If you knowingly let to someone without permission, you can face up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine. A compliant check gives you a statutory excuse, which protects you from a penalty even if the tenant's status later changes. For the full step-by-step on the check itself, including the manual and IDSP routes, see our guide to how to do a right to rent check.
Who needs to be checked?
Right to rent checks apply to every adult aged 18 or over who will occupy the property as their main home, whether or not they are named on the tenancy agreement, provided they live there with the landlord's knowledge and permission.
British and Irish citizens have an automatic, unlimited right to rent and do not need to generate a share code. They can prove their status with physical documents such as a current or expired British or Irish passport, or a UK birth or adoption certificate alongside an official document showing their National Insurance number, such as a P45, P60 or letter from HMRC.
Everyone else proves their right to rent either with acceptable physical documents or, increasingly, with a share code generated through the Home Office online service. This includes EU, EEA and Swiss nationals with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and visa holders whose status is recorded digitally as an eVisa. Holders of an older biometric residence permit now prove their status online through their UKVI account rather than with the physical card.
What is a right to rent share code?
A right to rent share code is a unique, nine-character alphanumeric code generated through the official GOV.UK service. It lets a landlord check a prospective tenant's immigration status online, without having to interpret physical immigration documents.
Share codes are purpose-specific. A right to rent share code begins with the letter R and may be used only for rental checks during tenant vetting. A code generated for another purpose, such as proving the right to work, cannot be used for a right to rent check, and vice versa. Each code is valid for 90 days from the date it is generated and can be used more than once in that time.
The code itself does not prove a right to rent. It provides access to the Home Office system, which shows whether the person has permission to rent and, if so, whether that permission is unlimited or time-limited. You obtain the statutory excuse by using the code through the official service, not by holding the code alone.
How tenants generate a share code
A tenant who needs to prove their right to rent with a share code generates it themselves on the GOV.UK service. The process asks for their date of birth and details from one of the following:
Their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, which holds their eVisa (this has replaced the physical biometric residence permit)
Settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
A current passport or national identity document linked to their digital status
A visa issued through the UK Immigration: ID Check app
Once the tenant completes the form and selects proving their right to rent as the reason for the code, the system issues the nine-character code. They give it to the landlord or letting agent along with their date of birth.
Because the code is valid for 90 days, a tenant whose application takes a while, or who is applying to several properties, may need to generate a fresh one. Expired codes cannot be used, so always check that the code is current and begins with the letter R before you rely on it.
How landlords check a right to rent share code
Once you have the share code and the tenant's date of birth, you complete the check on the official GOV.UK service. It is free, and you can use it yourself or have a letting agent do so with your permission.
When you enter the code and date of birth, the service displays the tenant's status, including their photograph and biographical details, whether they have the right to rent, and whether that right is unlimited or time-limited. Check that the photograph and details match the person you are dealing with. If they do not match, do not proceed; ask the tenant to resolve it through the UKVI Resolution Centre, or request a Home Office check.
If the result shows a time-limited right to rent, it will give the date the permission expires. Note that date, because you must carry out a follow-up check before it passes to keep your statutory excuse. Once the check is done, save a clear copy of the result page and keep it for at least one year after the tenancy ends, as this is your evidence that a compliant check was carried out.
Time-limited right to rent
Many tenants checked with a share code have time-limited permission to be in the UK, which is common for those on student or work visas or with pre-settled status. Time-limited permission does not stop you letting to the tenant, but it creates an ongoing obligation.
Before the permission expires, carry out a follow-up check. The first result page tells you when the follow-up is due. If the tenant can still prove their right to rent, you continue the tenancy and gain a fresh statutory excuse; if they cannot, you must report the matter to the Home Office to keep your protection. A tenancy that runs beyond the tenant's current permission is not a problem at the outset, provided you complete the initial check correctly and diarise the follow-up, but you should be clear with the tenant about it from the start. August's compliance checklist tracks follow-up dates alongside your other obligations, so a renewal does not slip past.
Checking physical documents instead of a share code
Not every tenant will provide a share code. British and Irish citizens cannot generate one, and some other nationals may prefer to present physical documents. You cannot refuse eligible physical documents simply because you would rather use a share code; the tenant chooses which method they use.
Acceptable documents for British and Irish citizens include a current or expired passport, or a UK birth or adoption certificate combined with an official document showing their National Insurance number, such as a P45, P60 or letter from HMRC.
For other nationals who cannot or choose not to use a share code, acceptable documents include a current passport endorsed with a valid visa, or a Certificate of Application showing a pending EU Settlement Scheme application, which you confirm with the Home Office checking service. Biometric residence permits are no longer used as physical proof; that status is now verified online through a share code.
When you check physical documents, examine the originals in the tenant's presence, satisfy yourself that they reasonably appear genuine and belong to the person, take clear copies, record the date of the check, and store the records securely for at least one year after the tenancy ends.
If you are unsure whether a document is acceptable, or a tenant cannot provide one, you can request a Home Office right to rent check, formerly the Landlord Checking Service. It confirms whether a person has the right to rent when their documentation is unclear or unavailable, and a positive result gives you a statutory excuse for twelve months.
Avoiding discrimination
Right to rent checks must be applied fairly and consistently to every prospective tenant, whatever their nationality or background. It is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 to refuse to let to someone, charge more, or apply more demanding checks because they are not a British citizen or because of their name or accent. Apply the same process to every adult occupier, and do not make assumptions about status based on appearance.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has been clear that the checks must not become a pretext for discrimination. Some landlords avoid letting to anyone who is not a British or Irish citizen because they find the process daunting, but that approach is itself unlawful and exposes them to a claim. If you are unsure how to check a particular tenant, request a Home Office check or take advice rather than turning the application away.
What happens if you get it wrong?
Failing to carry out a compliant check can bring a civil penalty of up to £10,000 per occupier for a first breach and up to £20,000 for a repeat. The penalties are charged per occupier, so letting to several people without checking adds up quickly. Where a landlord knowingly lets to someone without the right to rent, criminal prosecution can follow, carrying up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine.
Even where you have run a check, you can still be penalised if it was not done correctly. Common failures include missing one of the adult occupiers, accepting documents that are not on the acceptable list, keeping poor records, and not carrying out follow-up checks for time-limited permission. If you are issued with a penalty you can object and ask for a review, and appeal to the county court if it is upheld, but the surer course is to get the check right at the outset.
Practical steps for landlords
The check is straightforward if you treat it as a set routine:
Before advertising: decide how you will check, and if you use a letting agent, confirm in writing that they will handle it and are competent to do so.
At application: tell prospective tenants you will verify their right to rent before finalising the tenancy, so they can have their share code or documents ready.
Request the share code or documents: ask every adult occupier for a share code, for those with digital status, or acceptable physical documents. Check that any code is current and begins with R.
Complete the check: use the GOV.UK service for a share code, or examine original documents in person, and confirm the photograph and details match the person.
Save the evidence: keep a copy of the result page or the documents, with the date of the check, stored securely in line with data protection rules. August's document management keeps these records in one place.
Schedule follow-ups: for time-limited permission, set a reminder to check again before it expires.
Report changes: if a follow-up shows the tenant no longer has the right to rent, report it to the Home Office to protect your statutory excuse.
Storing and managing compliance records
Accurate records are what demonstrate compliance, and you must keep evidence of every check for at least one year after the tenancy ends, including share code result pages, scanned documents, and any correspondence with the Home Office checking service. Keeping this alongside your other obligations, such as deposit protection, gas safety and HMO licensing, in one organised system reduces the risk of a missed follow-up or a lost document, which matters all the more across several properties.
Common questions
Do I need to check right to rent if the tenancy is less than three months?
Yes. There is no exemption for short lets or holiday rentals if they fall within the definition of a residential tenancy in England.
Can I check a tenant's right to rent before they provide a share code?
No. You need the share code and the tenant's date of birth to complete the online check. If a tenant cannot provide a share code, they present acceptable physical documents instead.
What if a tenant's share code has expired?
Expired codes cannot be used. Ask the tenant to generate a fresh one on GOV.UK; the new code is valid for another 90 days.
Do I need to check right to rent for lodgers?
Yes. If you are a live-in landlord letting a room to a lodger, you must check their right to rent in the same way as any other occupier. The penalty for letting to a lodger without the right to rent is up to £5,000 for a first breach and £10,000 for a repeat.
What does a right to rent share code look like?
A right to rent share code is nine characters long and begins with the letter R. Codes that begin with other letters are for different purposes, such as proving the right to work, and cannot be used for a right to rent check.
How long is a right to rent share code valid?
A share code is valid for 90 days from the date it is generated and can be used more than once in that time. If it has expired by the time you carry out the check, ask the tenant to generate a fresh one.
Can a tenant give me their right to work share code instead?
No. Share codes are purpose-specific. A right to rent check needs a code generated for proving the right to rent, beginning with R; a right to work code will not return a valid result.
In summary
The right to rent scheme is a permanent feature of letting in England, and the share code has become the main way of verifying immigration status. Landlords who understand the process, check correctly, and keep proper records protect themselves from penalties while giving tenants a smooth start. The Renters' Rights Act 2025, in force since 1 May 2026, did not change the share-code process, though it added a possession route (Ground 7B) for the rare case where a tenant loses the right to rent during a tenancy.
Verifying status online is faster and more reliable than interpreting physical documents, but the steps still matter: confirm the photograph matches the person, check the validity period, and diarise a follow-up for time-limited permission. Treating compliance as an ongoing routine rather than a one-off task is what keeps you protected, and a single system to manage it makes that far easier. You can track right to rent alongside every other obligation, free for up to two properties, with August.
Disclaimer: This article is a guide and not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. August does not accept any liability for any errors, omissions or misstatements contained in this article. Always speak to a suitably qualified professional if you require specific advice or information.
Author
August Team
The August editorial team lives and breathes rental property. They work closely with a panel of experienced landlords and industry partners across the UK, turning real world portfolio and tenancy experience into clear, practical guidance for small landlords.
