Amiqus, one of the top 20 fastest growing tech firms in the UK and certified identity service provider (IDSP) for UK right to work and DBS criminal record checks, has achieved certification under the Trust Framework for right to rent checks across England.
Changes to the Right to rent in England
According to government legislation, all landlords have a responsibility to prevent those without lawful immigration status from accessing the private rented sector.
Previously, right to rent checks were done manually by agents and landlords, wherein they checked the tenant’s identity documents to confirm their right to stay in the UK and to rent, in the presence of the tenant.
Since 30th March 2020, temporary Covid-19 adjusted measures have been in place. These involved right to rent checks being conducted on video call and the tenant providing scanned or photographed versions of the relevant documents via email or mobile app.
These temporary measures have now ended. As of 1st October 2022, agents and landlords are required to use a certified IDSP which uses identification document validation technology (IDVT), to digitally check the right to rent of British and Irish citizens, or go back to doing in-person checks. An IDSP will verify the tenants’ identity remotely and prove their eligibility to rent.
Why is IDVT important for Right to rent checks?
IDVT is a specialist technology to support a system of digital checks to prove an individual’s right to work, right to rent and assess their criminal records.
It allows UK and Irish citizens to prove their identity digitally for the purposes of renting or buying property by enabling people to upload images of their personal documents securely, instead of presenting physical documents. Thus, reducing time and mitigating risk.
How can a certified IDSP help your business?
Failure to comply with the right to rent guidance and conduct checks properly can lead to an unlimited fine or prison sentence. Hence, it is crucial for firms to use a certified IDSP to ensure thorough verification and authentication of documents in line with the government standards and reduce risk of fraud.
As a certified provider that uses IDVT, agents and landlords can confidently carry out fully digital right to rent checks on British and Irish citizens via the Amiqus platform, with the reassurance that all updated requirements set out by the UK government are met.
Amiqus offers an accredited end to end approach covering all aspects of identity orchestration, verification and digital back office management. The result is a fast, simple and secure digital process for both agents and their clients.
At Amiqus, we have been working with several lettings and property businesses to simplify their right to rent checks. This is what one of our clients have to say:
“Amiqus has made the process of running checks so simple and efficient, not to mention all the paper they’ve helped us save too. Checks are processed rapidly and the data is safely stored in one place so we don’t need to worry about filing.”
Umega Lettings
Do you want to roll out these improved changes for your organisation and set up a certified IDSP for right to rent checks? Click here to speak to the Amiqus team today.
