Landlords in England who choose a digital identity service for right-to-rent checks must use a registered provider that is authorised to carry out those checks. The Home Office’s revised landlord guide applies to checks made on or after 1 October 2026.
Right to rent means checking whether an adult is allowed to rent a home in England. The updated guide says a digital verification service must be on the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes register and able to provide right-to-rent checks. Using one of these services is optional.
Check which service is doing the work
If you arrange a digital check through a referencing agency, that agency must identify the registered provider carrying it out. You can look up the service in the official register and check that it covers right to rent, rather than identity verification alone.
The guide also explains how registered providers can use facial recognition to match someone to the photograph on their document or Home Office online result. If you use this technology, it must come from a registered right-to-rent provider. You can still confirm someone’s identity in person or by video call.
These identity services are separate from the Home Office’s immigration-status check. Someone who holds only an eVisa must prove their right to rent through the Home Office online share-code service.
Choosing a provider does not remove your responsibility to complete the check correctly. Obtain its result, confirm that it relates to the person renting your property and keep the required evidence securely. The guide says to retain the provider’s output throughout the tenancy and for at least one year after it ends, then securely destroy it.
Do not disadvantage someone who cannot use a digital service or prefers another permitted way to prove their right to rent. The guide explains the alternative routes. For background on provider certification, our September explanation of the digital right-to-rent code covers the separate rules for verification services.
Sources
- Home Office: landlord’s guide to right-to-rent checks, updated 1 October 2026.
- Home Office: right-to-rent code of practice for landlords and agents, in force from 1 October 2026.
