What Is A Right to Rent Share Code?

A right to rent share code is a nine-character code (beginning with "R") that a non-British, non-Irish tenant generates from the Home Office service so a landlord in England can check their immigration status online.

You enter the code plus the tenant's date of birth on the Home Office View a tenant's right to rent service before the tenancy starts. The code is valid for 90 days. British and Irish citizens cannot use share codes, so you check their documents or use an IDSP instead.

Key takeaways

• A share code is a 9-character code starting with "R", valid for 90 days.
• Check it with the tenant's date of birth on the Home Office viewer before the tenancy starts.
• British and Irish citizens cannot use share codes; check documents or use an IDSP.
• You cannot insist on a share code where the tenant holds an acceptable original document.
• Keep a dated copy of the result for the tenancy plus one year to hold your statutory excuse.
• If the right is time-limited, your follow-up check is due before your statutory excuse runs out, generally the latest of 12 months after your last check, the end of the tenant's permission, or the expiry of the document you relied on.

If you're taking on a new tenant in England, you need to carry out a right to rent check before the tenancy starts. A share code is one way to do that, not the only one.

British and Irish citizens prove their right with documents or a digital verification service, and some non-British, non-Irish tenants can use eligible original immigration documents instead. Where an acceptable original document can be used, you cannot insist on the Home Office online service.

A share code is a nine-character code that a non-British, non-Irish tenant receives from the Home Office service allowing you to easily view their immigration status online. You use the share code and their date of birth to complete the right to rent check before the tenancy starts. British and Irish citizens can't use share codes, so you'll check their original documents or use an IDSP instead.

Right to rent share code: facts at a glance

• A right to rent share code is valid for 90 days from the date the tenant generates it, and can be used more than once within that window.
• Check it before the tenancy starts. If the tenant has a time-limited right to rent, the check must be carried out no earlier than 28 calendar days before the start date of the tenancy.
• Civil penalties run to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier for a first breach, rising to £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier for a repeat breach within 3 years.
• Keep a dated copy of the check result for the length of the tenancy plus one year to preserve your statutory excuse.

Two different people do two different things with a share code, and the GOV.UK service you need depends on which one you are. Here is the whole process in one view.

How does a right to rent share code work?

Tenants create the code via the official GOV.UK service, Prove your right to rent. The code is valid for 90 days, and you can use it multiple times during that window.

Share codes are purpose-specific: codes that begin with "R" are for Right to Rent. If someone sends you a code for another purpose (for example, a work code, which may start with a different letter) or an expired code, ask them to generate a fresh Right to Rent code.

The check only confirms the person's current status and any time limit. If the tenant has a time-limited right, your statutory excuse is time-limited too, and you need a follow-up check before it runs out. That date is generally the latest of 12 months after your previous check, the end of the tenant's immigration permission, or the expiry of the document relied on, as covered below.

As one landlord noted on Reddit's r/uklandlords: "I carried out right to rent share code checks and found they have right to rent until mid-January 2025. However, the rental lease does not expire until August 2025." (Source: Reddit)

How a tenant generates a right to rent share code

If your prospective tenant has not sent you a code yet, this is what they need to do. Send them the link rather than explaining it; the service walks them through it.

1. Go to the GOV.UK service Prove your right to rent.
2. Sign in with the identity document their immigration status is linked to, along with their date of birth.
3. Choose the option to prove their right to rent, rather than right to work or any other purpose. This is what produces an "R" code.
4. Generate the code and send it to you, together with their date of birth. You need both.

British and Irish citizens cannot use this service. If that is who is moving in, you check their passport directly or use an IDSP (referred to as a digital verification service provider, or DVSP, in the code taking effect on 1 October 2026).

How to check a right to rent share code, step by step

Keep it simple and consistent. You are verifying who is moving in, that they are allowed to rent, and that you have kept the right paper trail.

1. Collect details. Ask every adult occupier to prove their right to rent using whichever permitted route applies to them. That might be a manual check of original documents, a Home Office online check using a share code and date of birth, or a check through a digital verification service provider. Apply the same process to everyone, and don't assume the route from someone's nationality.
2. Use the official viewer. Go to the Home Office View a tenant's right to rent service and enter the code and date of birth. Confirm the photo matches the person and note any time limits or letting restrictions shown.
3. Keep records for your statutory excuse. Save a PDF or screenshot of the result page, note the check date, and store it securely with the tenancy file. If the result shows a time limit, work out the date your statutory excuse runs out and set a reminder to check again before then.

Using Landlord Studio, you can keep the right to rent result, passport copy, and check dates in the tenant record, then create automated reminders for any follow-up checks alongside your usual compliance tasks and rent tracking. That way, your right to rent check cadence lives in the same place as your income, expenses, and lease documents, alongside tenant referencing and your tenant credit check records.

What problems do landlords face with right to rent checks?

Right to rent checks occasionally trip up landlords. Here are the main mistakes to avoid.

Using the wrong code

A common snag is tenants sending a work or general immigration code. When completing a share code check, look for an "R" code. If you see a code starting with W or S, ask them to regenerate one specifically for renting. Codes are service-specific and not interchangeable.

Expired codes

Share codes last 90 days. If it has lapsed, the viewer will not show a valid result. Ask the tenant to generate a new code so you can re-run your right to rent check.

Checking too early

If a tenant has a time-limited right, the check must be carried out no earlier than 28 calendar days before the start date of the tenancy, counting Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. That window matters for your statutory excuse. If they have an unlimited right, you can check any time before the tenancy starts.

Not keeping proper records

To keep your statutory excuse, save the tenant's Home Office profile result, record the date of the check, and retain it for the tenancy plus one year. If the status is time-limited, set a follow-up reminder for the date your statutory excuse runs out.

Assuming it is a one-and-done

Where permission is time-limited, your statutory excuse is time-limited too. The follow-up check is due just before the statutory excuse runs out, which is the latest of 12 months after your previous check, the expiry of the tenant's immigration permission, or the expiry of the document relied on. If the person no longer has a right to rent, you must report this to the Home Office to maintain your excuse.

What if the details don't match?

If the photo or biographical details on the online profile do not match the prospective tenant, do not proceed. Ask the tenant to resolve their digital status via the UKVI Resolution Centre or report an eVisa error, or, where relevant, use the Landlord Checking Service for a manual decision. Keep a note of the steps you took.

Time-limited right vs tenancy length

A tenant's immigration permission does not have to cover the whole of your proposed tenancy term. If their permission runs out before the tenancy end date, you can still let to them. What you need is a follow-up check.

Note the date your time-limited statutory excuse expires and carry out the follow-up check before it. That date is generally the latest of 12 months after your previous check, the end of the tenant's immigration permission, or the expiry of the document relied on, and it will be set out in the initial result or PRRN.

If the tenant cannot prove continued permission at that point, you are obliged to report the case to the Home Office, which preserves your defence. The Home Office is explicit that tenants with a time-limited right to rent must not be treated less favourably, so turning someone down purely because their permission is shorter than the tenancy risks a discrimination claim. The type of tenancy you grant does not change any of this.

What are the penalties for getting it wrong?

There are serious penalties for renting to someone who doesn't have the right to rent, and they are set at two levels depending on whether the person is a lodger in your own home or an occupier of a property you let.

Figures are from the Home Office code of practice for landlords and their agents, which comes into force on 1 October 2026 and carries the same penalty levels as the version it replaces.

If you are issued with a civil penalty, the Fast Payment Option reduces it by 30% where you pay in full within 21 days of the notice. It is only available on a first breach and cannot be paid in instalments.

Letting to someone you knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, did not have the right to rent is a criminal offence. The maximum penalty is five years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both. The best way to avoid any penalty is to complete thorough checks and keep clear, comprehensive records.

What changes on 1 October 2026

A new right to rent code of practice takes effect on 1 October 2026, replacing the version in force since February 2024. The penalty levels do not change. Key practical changes include the following, and they affect how checks are carried out rather than what they cost to get wrong.

• Digital identity providers must be on the OfDIA register. If you use a digital verification service provider to run right to rent checks, the code makes it mandatory that the provider completing the check is registered on the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes register, with a note on the register confirming it can provide right to rent checks. Check your provider's registration before 1 October.
• Digital checks can accept a recently expired British or Irish passport. Expired British and Irish passports are already acceptable for a manual right to rent check. What changes is digital verification: from 1 October a registered right to rent DVSP can verify a British passport, Irish passport or Irish passport card up to six months past its expiry date, subject to passive authentication.
• The range of documents a DVSP can verify is wider. The new framework expands what a registered provider can verify digitally and sets out further requirements for digital checks.

If you are letting a property around that date, note which code applies to you. The new civil penalty code applies where an initial or repeat check is required on or after 1 October 2026, and sets the penalty for breaches on or after that date. The accompanying code on avoiding discrimination applies to tenancies commencing on or after 1 October 2026, and to follow-up checks required from that date. Record which version you relied on.

The Landlord Studio verdict

Make sure to store every right to rent share code result, the ID reviewed, and the check date directly against the tenant record, rather than in a separate folder or spreadsheet. Set an automated reminder against any time-limited right to rent for the date your statutory excuse runs out, so the follow-up check happens before it does, giving you a single, audit-ready trail.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a right to rent share code valid?

A right to rent share code is valid for 90 days from when the tenant generates it, and you can use it multiple times within that window. If it has expired, ask the tenant to generate a new one.

What does an "R" share code mean?

Codes beginning with "R" are specific to the Right to Rent service. Codes starting with other letters (such as W for work) are for a different purpose and will not work for a right to rent check.

Can British and Irish citizens use a share code?

No. British and Irish citizens cannot generate a right to rent share code. You verify them using their original documents (such as a passport) or an Identity Service Provider (IDSP).

What happens if a tenant's right to rent expires during the tenancy?

You can still let to them, and their permission does not have to cover the whole tenancy. You need a follow-up check before your time-limited statutory excuse runs out, which is generally the latest of 12 months after your previous check, the end of their immigration permission, or the expiry of the document relied on. If they cannot prove continued permission at that point, report it to the Home Office to keep your statutory excuse.

How long should I keep right to rent records?

Keep a dated copy of the Home Office result for the duration of the tenancy plus one year. For time-limited permissions, also record the follow-up check date.

Keep it simple

Share code checks don't need to be complicated. Run the check close to move-in, match the photo to the person you met, save the result, and set a reminder for when your statutory excuse runs out if their permission is time-limited. If anything doesn't line up, pause and get clarity before proceeding.

If you want a simple way to keep it all tidy, you can use Landlord Studio to store share code results and ID against the tenant record, log check dates, and set follow-up reminders alongside your rent tracking and compliance documents. Create your free Landlord Studio account today to get started.