Right to Rent compliance is about using the correct checking route for the person in front of you and keeping a defensible record before occupation starts. The civil penalty regime remains severe. A landlord who rents to a disqualified occupier can face a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per occupier for repeated or serious failures.
The digital rule that matters
Digital checks did not replace every other route. In practice, landlords need to understand when each path applies:
| Route | Typical use | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| IDSP | British or Irish citizens with a valid passport or Irish passport card | Useful for speed, but only when the document type fits the rule. |
| Share code | Many tenants whose immigration status is held digitally | The landlord or agent checks status online using the Home Office service. |
| Original documents | Cases that still rely on prescribed physical documents | The copy, date, and evidence trail still matter. |
Why share codes and document handling must coexist
Landlords often want one universal digital path. The policy framework does not work like that. Some prospective tenants will prove status online with a share code. Others still need the correct document-based route. Treating every case as the same is precisely how teams lose their statutory excuse.
Follow-up checks are where teams slip
When a tenant has time-limited permission, the initial pass is not the end of the story. A sensible system should create reminder dates well before expiry, surface them in the operational queue, and preserve the evidence trail if a new check is completed later.
tenancy:
tenant: "Example Tenant"
status: "time-limited"
next_check_due: "2027-02-01"
reminder_offsets_days: [90, 30, 7]What ProperSorted is trying to make easier
ProperSorted is built around three support tasks:
- Record the route used for the initial check.
- Keep copies, timestamps, and tenancy context together.
- Trigger follow-up reminders before a time-limited status expires.
That does not make the platform legal advice. It makes the operational record far less fragile.