Right to rent check: when to send your share code
Last reviewed
In England, a landlord or letting agent checks your right to rent before you move in. With an eVisa, you prove it with a right to rent share code and your date of birth. If your visa has an end date, the check can't be done more than 28 days before you sign, so send the code close to signing.
What is a right to rent check?
It's a check of your immigration status that a landlord or letting agent in England must do before you rent a home from them. If you have an eVisa, you prove your right to rent online with a share code. It's separate from referencing, which looks at your income and your history as a tenant.
GOV.UK says you don't need to prove your right to rent in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The rest of this guide is about England.
Since 1 July 2026, visa vignettes are no longer issued as evidence of permission, and the Home Office's guide for landlords says people who hold only an eVisa must prove their right to rent with the online service. What referencing involves, and what to send in place of UK payslips, is in our guide to renting with no UK credit history.
How do I get a right to rent share code?
Use GOV.UK's Prove your right to rent service. You'll need your date of birth and the details of your passport or national identity card. The service gives you a share code of 9 characters that starts with R. Send the code and your date of birth to the landlord or agent.
The code you gave your employer won't work. The landlord's guide says right to rent share codes begin with R, and codes beginning with W or S are for other services. A share code lasts 90 days, and GOV.UK's eVisa guide says you can use it as many times as you need before it expires and get a new one whenever you need one.
The landlord then checks your code on GOV.UK's own service. They can't rely on what the service shows on your screen or on a printout of it. They must also make sure the photo in the check is you, in person, by video call or through a certified digital identity provider. They keep a record of the check while you rent from them and for a year after.
When should I send my share code?
Close to the day you sign. If your permission to stay has an end date, as Skilled Worker, Graduate and dependant visas do, the landlord's guide says the check can't be done more than 28 days before you enter into the tenancy agreement. That's usually the day you sign it, not the day you move in. Wait until the agent asks for the code, and get a new one if yours has expired.
If your permission has no end date, for example settled status or indefinite leave to remain, the Home Office code of practice says the check can be done at any time before you enter into the agreement.
| Your situation | What to give the landlord | When |
|---|---|---|
| Your visa is granted and you're still abroad. | A right to rent share code and your date of birth. Agree the tenancy in principle first. | Before you move in, and no earlier than 28 days before you sign. |
| Your visa hasn't been decided yet. | Nothing yet. Wait before you pay a holding deposit. | Once your visa is granted. |
| You've applied for a new visa in the UK and you're waiting. | A share code if the online service shows your right to rent. If it can't, your Home Office reference number for the Landlord Checking Service. | When the landlord asks, at the start or at a follow-up check. |
| Your partner or an adult child is moving with you. | Their own share code, from their own UKVI account. | At the same time as yours. |
| You have settled status or indefinite leave to remain. | A share code. There's no follow-up check. | Any time before you sign. |
| You're renting in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. | Nothing. There's no right to rent check there. | Not needed. |
Can the check be done while I'm still abroad?
Partly. The landlord's guide lets a landlord agree a tenancy in principle before you travel to the UK, as long as the right to rent check is done before you move in. It also suggests meeting you by video call before agreeing. A live video check while you're overseas is described only for students.
GOV.UK doesn't say whether a worker can get a right to rent share code before arriving in the UK. You don't need one early. When you arrange a home from overseas, the code of practice lets the landlord do the check after the tenancy has started, as long as it's done before you move in.
Should I pay a holding deposit before my visa is granted?
It's safer to wait until you have your visa. In England, a holding deposit can be at most 1 week's rent, and GOV.UK's guidance for tenants says you should get it back unless, among other reasons, you fail a right to rent check.
The Tenant Fees Act adds a condition that the GOV.UK page leaves out. If you fail a right to rent check, the landlord can keep your holding deposit only if they, and any agent, didn't know and couldn't reasonably have known, when they took it, that you weren't allowed to rent.
Who in my household needs a share code?
Every adult who will live in the home, whether or not they're named on the tenancy agreement. GOV.UK tells landlords to check all tenants aged 18 and over. The landlord's guide says children under 18 aren't checked.
A partner on a dependant visa gets their own share code. GOV.UK's eVisa guide says a partner and children joining you as dependants need their own UKVI accounts to access their eVisas.
When will the landlord check again?
If your permission has an end date, the landlord checks again later. GOV.UK's guidance for landlords says to do this follow-up check just before the later of two dates: the end of your permission to stay, or 12 months after the previous check. The online check gives the landlord the date.
When you get new permission, send the landlord a new share code. If a follow-up check shows you no longer have a right to rent, the landlord must tell the Home Office. What that means for your home is in our guide to losing a sponsored job.
What if I'm waiting for a decision on a new visa?
You usually keep your right to rent while you wait, if you applied before your permission ran out. The Home Office code on avoiding discrimination says you keep it while the application, and any review or appeal, is outstanding. This is often called section 3C leave.
Give the landlord a share code if the online service can show your right to rent. If it can't, the landlord asks the Home Office's Landlord Checking Service. GOV.UK says the landlord needs your Home Office reference number for it and gets an answer within 2 working days. If you're renting a new home while you wait, the landlord's guide tells landlords to wait for that answer before signing.
What should I say to the landlord or agent?
Say when your visa was granted or when you applied, and send the share code when they ask for it. Change the details in square brackets.
If you're abroad and your visa has been granted:
Hello, my [visa type] visa has been granted and I'm moving to [city] on [date]. I can give you a right to rent share code and my date of birth. Could we agree the tenancy in principle now and do the right to rent check closer to the day we sign?
If you're waiting for a decision on a new visa:
I applied to [extend my visa / switch to a Skilled Worker visa] on [date], before my current permission ended, and I'm waiting for a decision. If the online check can't confirm my right to rent, you can use the Home Office Landlord Checking Service. My Home Office reference number is [number].
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the share code I gave my employer?
No. A right to rent share code starts with R, and the Home Office's guide for landlords says codes starting with W or S are for other services. Get a right to rent code from the Prove your right to rent service.
My share code has expired. What do I do?
Get a new one. GOV.UK says you can get a new share code whenever you need one and use it as many times as you need before it expires.
Can a landlord refuse me because my visa has an end date?
They shouldn't. The Home Office code of practice in force since 1 October 2026 says landlords and letting agents should not treat people with a time-limited right to rent less favourably. If you think a landlord has discriminated against you, the code says you can take a complaint to a county court.
Does the landlord need to see me in person?
Not always. The landlord must check that the photo in the online check is you, and the Home Office's guide says they can do that in person, by video call or through a certified digital identity provider.
Do I need a share code to rent in Scotland or Wales?
No. GOV.UK says you don't need to prove your right to rent in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A landlord there can still check your identity and your income.
Create a free account to save jobs and sponsors.