Letting agents will face changes to some right to rent checks from 1 October, when new rules come into force in England.
The changes mean landlords and letting agents will be able to use approved digital services to check tenants’ identities and their right to rent in England.
Ahead of the shift, Goodlord has updated its identity checks, allowing tenants to upload proof of identity online and complete their Right to Rent check as part of the referencing process.
Agents will also receive a report showing the outcome of the check, which can be kept as a record.
The news comes after research by Goodlord found concerns about suspected tenancy fraud increased by 40% in 2025 compared with the previous year. What’s more, the company estimated it could be costing the private rented sector up to £4.1bn a year.
Nishma Parekh, director of referencing at Goodlord, said: ‘The new right to rent rules add another layer of complexity for agents who are still getting to grips with the Renters’ Rights Act.
‘It’s set to take a lot of admin off agents’ plates. Manual ID checks are slow and often mean getting tenants into the office. Checking ID remotely is a big help for rural agents, small teams and anyone handling a high volume of applications.’
‘Agents have told us they want a clear, standalone record showing a right to rent check was done,’ Parekh added. ‘This is what our advanced IDVT+Digital RtR report delivers. With fraud rising and Section 21 gone, removing a tenant who got in on false documents now means going through the courts.
‘Catching fake or tampered ID early and having a clear audit trail saves agents, landlords and genuine tenants a lot of pain later on.’
Image: Ethan Wilkinson/UnSplash
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