Right to rent

For most private rented accommodation in England, your landlord or letting agent must check that every adult who will live there has the legal “right to rent” before the tenancy starts.

How you depends on your nationality and immigration status:

  • If you are a British or Irish citizen, you can prove the right to rent by showing your passport.
  • If you have a Student visa, or have EU settled or pre-settled status, you will normally need to generate a Right to Rent share code. You give the share code and your date of birth to the landlord/agent .

A Right to Rent share code is valid for 90 days. If it expires, you can generate a new one.

If you are a prospective student waiting for a visa decision and you cannot provide the usual evidence, a landlord/agent may be able to request a instead.

In practice, some landlords/agents may be unwilling to finalise a private tenancy until the check can be completed.  If you are arranging private rented accommodation before your status is confirmed, ask the landlord/agent if they can hold the property while you wait, and book an appointment with the Student Advice and Support Service (SASS) to have the contract checked before you agree to anything legally or financially binding.

If you have any concerns about the right to rent checks or wish to book an appointment for a contract check before you sign, please .

Once you have found a property, get your contract checked before agreeing

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Most landlords or letting agents will ask you to sign a tenancy agreement, often by signing electronically online. Agreeing in this way has the same legal effect as signing a paper contract and is legally binding. Make sure you read your contract and understand your rights and responsibilities first.

Review our ‘contracts’ to check the key points.

Contact the  for a contract check to help you decide if it is suitable and to review any potentially unfair terms.

If there are no SASS appointments in the timeframe, ask the landlord/agent to hold the property while you seek advice. It’s completely reasonable to take time before agreeing.

Last updated: 1st May 2026