Inventory clerks to step in and sort out ‘retrospective Right to Rent’ checks mess

Independent inventory clerks can help solve the problem of carrying out retrospective Right to Rent checks, according to a leading inventory industry figure.

No Letting Go says clerks can conduct in-person Right to Rent checks when doing an inventory check-in. These must be done after a tenant’s Right to Rent runs out, or 12 months after the initial check.

It follows ARLA Propertymark’s warning that the ‘adjusted checks’ system – where agents have been completing status checks without meeting tenants in person, but which will have to be re-checked within eight weeks of the pandemic ending – could cause the scheme to collapse.

ARLA reckons most letting agents and landlords won’t comply with the requirement as tenants might object to being checked twice, while it will cause them a huge digital compliance storage problem.

It also comes as the Right to Rent scheme expands to include EU citizens who haven’t yet applied for Settled Status.

Spring lockdown

Nick Lyons (pictured), founder and CEO of No Letting Go, says its clerks have experience of carrying out Right to Rent checks as many conducted them on behalf of agents and landlords when doing inventory check-ins during the spring lockdown.

They can make sure a tenant’s ID matches the landlord or agent’s records and take photographic evidence of both the ID and the tenant. No Letting Go then stores records of the completed checks on its systems, so agents and landlords can provide an audit trail.

“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,” says Lyons.

“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.”

Read the official adjusted checks system guidance.
End of tenancy cleaning and inventory checklist

©1999 - Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® - Inventory clerks to step in and sort out ‘retrospective Right to Rent’ checks mess | LandlordZONE.