Since March, a temporary system has been in place which has allowed agents and landlords to carry out Right to Rent checks remotely.
However, the Home Office has stated that within eight weeks of the temporary measures being lifted, agents and landlords will need to carry out full in-person retrospective checks on tenants who started their tenancy during the pandemic.
ARLA Propertymark has warned the Home Office that the volume of work required will not be possible within the eight-week timeframe.
Nick Lyons, founder and chief executive of No Letting Go, said: “We fully support ARLA Propertymark’s view.
“However, if retrospective checks are required as currently proposed, our inventory clerks can help landlords and agents to handle the additional work.
“Our clerks have experience of carrying out Right to Rent checks as many of them conducted them on behalf of agents and landlords when compiling inventory check-ins during the spring lockdown.”
No Letting Go outlined that clerks can carry out immigration checks provided they have the name of each tenant who needs to be checked, as well as the type of ID, which needs to be inspected.
The inventory clerk is then able to ensure the ID matches with the landlord or agent’s records and subsequently take photographic evidence of the ID and the renter.
Lyons said: “”Providing this service during routine property visits allows us to help agents and landlords stay on top of their compliance obligations.
“Going forward, renters may be reluctant to go back to agents’ offices, so it makes sense to complete Right to Rent checks in-person when conducting a property visit.
“There are a range of changes to the Right to Rent scheme in the pipeline which, alongside the introduction of retrospective checks, could put significant pressure on letting agents and landlords over the coming months.
“Property professionals will also be managing the overall impact of the pandemic and continually growing workloads, so any help they can get from partners such as inventory clerks to ensure they meet their compliance obligations could be invaluable.”
