Letting agents and landlords could soon find Right to Rent rules easier to navigate for some tenants.
Under new EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) rules, they will only have to conduct Right to Rent checks on European Economic Area and Swiss nationals with pre-settled status at the start of the tenancy, whereas previously they had to recheck the tenant’s status to ensure they could still rent legally. The expiry date of the applicant’s pre-settled status will no longer be shown when letting agents use the online Right to Rent checking service.
The EUSS applies to citizens of Switzerland or any European Economic Area country who were living in the United Kingdom as at 31 December 2020, as well as their eligible family members. According to the Home Office, there are 1.9 million people with pre-settled status living in the UK.
And in good news for letting agency leaders, employers will also not have to conduct repeat right to work checks on employees with pre-settled status.
High stakes for rule breakers
Breaking Right to Rent rules can lead to large fines for letting agencies, so simplifying them is likely to be welcomed by the industry as it will help prevent accidental breaches.
Last year, 155 agents and landlords received Right to Rent fines totalling over £150,000. And the 2024 total could be much higher. In February, the maximum penalty for a first offence rose to £10,000 per tenant, up from £1,000.
Other tenant headlines
Tenants continue to stay longer in homes, new research reveals – LandlordZONE
Renting remains more cost-effective than buying with a 5% deposit: Hamptons – Property Reporter
Police urge landlords to smoke out cannabis farm tenants – Letting Agent Today
