Right to rent guidance updated for eVisa checks
02 Oct 2026
If you're renting in England on any visa, this update is about what your landlord or letting agent must check, and it affects you directly. The Home Office published an updated "Landlord's guide to right to rent checks" that applies to checks carried out on or after 1 October 2026.
The guidance confirms how digital checks should work. A share code, generated through the Home Office online service, lets a landlord or agent see your right to rent status, and it "is valid for 90 days and must be used together with the person's date of birth." Landlords using a digital identity verification service must use one that is "registered on the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA) register." For tenants whose permission to stay is time-limited, the guidance sets a clear window: a check "must be undertaken and recorded no earlier than 28 calendar days before the date the tenancy agreement is entered into."
What this means for you: if you're about to sign a new tenancy, generate your share code in good time, since it's only valid for 90 days, and have your date of birth ready alongside it. If your visa is time-limited, expect your landlord to run the check close to your move-in date rather than weeks in advance, since the rules now set a 28-day window.
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