News from 20 April 2026
Read the current guide to tenancy rules in England.
The Home Office opened a consultation on changes to England’s Right to Rent anti-discrimination code on 15 April 2026, closing on 29 April. The draft addressed fair treatment of applicants and different ways to prove a right to rent.
What the consultation is about
The draft code says landlords and agents should not treat prospective tenants less favourably because of the way they prove their Right to Rent. In plain terms, that means someone who shows eligible physical documents should not be treated as a weaker applicant simply because they are not using the Home Office online service. The draft also says people with a time-limited right to rent should not be treated less favourably on that basis alone.
It also leans harder on consistency. The draft says checks should be carried out fairly across prospective adult tenants, rather than being applied more heavily to people because of accent, nationality, colour, ethnic origin, or assumptions about immigration status. Landlords and agents are also warned not to build discriminatory outcomes into digital onboarding or identity-checking processes.
Another detail worth noting is certification. The updated code points landlords toward certified digital verification services where digital checks are used, rather than treating any verification tool as interchangeable. That will matter more to agents and larger operators, but smaller landlords who rely on third-party systems should still pay attention to it.
What changes, and when?
The consultation page says the Home Office wants views on the draft before the end of April. Property Industry Eye reports that the government intends to legislate in June, with the updated code expected to apply from 1 October 2026. The draft itself says this version would apply to residential tenancy agreements starting on or after that date, and to repeat checks carried out on or after 1 October 2026 where a further check is needed to keep a statutory excuse.
So this is best read as an early warning, not a same-day rule switch. There is still consultation and secondary legislation to come. Even so, it gives landlords a fairly clear indication of the standards the government expects around fairness and consistency.
