At a glance
- Before you move in, you will be asked to prove your right to rent in England, and your affordability and credit are checked through a third-party referencing agent.
- British and Irish citizens can use a passport, current or expired. Others use a share code or original immigration documents.[1]
- A share code is valid for 90 days and is used with your date of birth.[2]
- If your references fall short, you may be asked for a guarantor, who will be referenced too.[3]
Rules and figures last checked October 2026.
Proving your right to rent
Landlords and agents in England must check that every adult who will live in the home has the right to rent. How you prove it depends on who you are.[1]
| If you are… | You can use |
|---|---|
| A British or Irish citizen | A British passport (current or expired), an Irish passport or passport card (current or expired), or a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen. Other documents are listed on GOV.UK, and an online identity service if the landlord offers one.[1] |
| Neither British nor Irish | A share code from GOV.UK, or your original immigration documents. A landlord cannot reject you for giving eligible documents instead of a share code.[1] |
Referencing and guarantors
When you apply to rent through us, you complete an application and we run affordability and credit checks through a third-party referencing agent. If references fall short, we may ask for a guarantor, who will be referenced too and is held legally liable.
A landlord is allowed to ask for a guarantor. If you are asked to provide one for an agreement made before 1 May 2026, GOV.UK says the terms may be affected by the Renters’ Rights Act, so a guarantor should consider independent legal advice.[3] Landlords must also apply any affordability test fairly: they cannot refuse you because you have children or receive benefits.[4]
What happens next
- 1
Get your documents ready
Passport or share code, proof of income and your previous landlord’s details.
- 2
Read the agreement and the written information
Your landlord must give you written information before the tenancy is agreed.[5]
- 3
Know what you will pay
See deposits and moving in and the tenant fees page.
- 4
Register to rent
Tell us what you are looking for through register to rent.
Sources
Every figure and rule above comes from one of these, read in October 2026. The dates are the ones each publisher shows as when the page was last updated.
- [1]Prove your right to rent in England (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK
- [2]Right to rent checks: a guide to immigration documents for tenants and landlords (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK (Home Office) · page updated 10 August 2026
- [3]Tenant Fees Act 2019: guidance for tenants (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK · page updated 7 July 2026
- [4]Rental discrimination (private renting for tenants) (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK
- [5]Tenancy agreements: written information for your tenant (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK · page updated 1 May 2026 (published)
This is a general guide to renting in England, not legal advice. Your tenancy agreement and your own circumstances decide what applies to you. If you are facing eviction or a dispute, get advice from your council, a solicitor or a housing advice service.