Right to rent
Right to rent share code: how to get one
Get your share code free on GOV.UK: sign in to your UKVI account, choose to prove your right to rent in England, and give the code and your date of birth to the landlord or agent. It takes a few minutes and the code lasts 90 days.
England only · Checked against GOV.UK on 23 October 2026 · Independent, not a government service
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Check a property freeHow to get a right to rent share code
- Go to GOV.UK’s View and prove your immigration status service (also reached from Prove your right to rent in England).
- Sign in to your UKVI account with the identity document you used for your application: your passport, national identity card or biometric residence card, or your UKVI customer number.
- Enter the security code sent to the phone number or email address linked to your account.
- Choose what you need to prove: your right to rent a home in England. A code for proving your right to work won’t do for renting.
- Copy the share code, or send it straight to the landlord or letting agent by email from the service.
- Give the landlord or agent the share code and your date of birth. That is all they need.
You need access to the phone number or email address on your UKVI account to sign in. GOV.UK never charges for a share code: anyone asking you to pay for one is not the Home Office.
Who needs a share code
- You have an eVisa: most people with a visa now do, since biometric residence permits were replaced.
- You have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
- You have a digital certificate of entitlement to the right of abode.
British and Irish citizens can’t get a share code and don’t need one: they show a passport or other documents. If you have an eligible immigration document, you can show that instead of a code.
What is a right to rent share code?
A code from GOV.UK that lets a landlord or letting agent see your immigration status on the Home Office’s online service, to check you have the right to rent in England. It is for people whose status is held digitally: an eVisa, or settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. It is free.
How long does a share code last?
90 days. You can use the same code as many times as you need in that time, so one code can go to several agents while you look. When it runs out, get a new one: there is no limit.
Do British or Irish citizens need a share code?
No, and they can’t get one. A British citizen shows a British passport, current or expired, or other documents from the Home Office list, such as a UK birth certificate with another official document. An Irish citizen shows an Irish passport or passport card. With a valid passport, the landlord can use a registered digital identity provider instead.
What does the landlord do with my share code?
They enter it with your date of birth on GOV.UK’s Check a tenant’s right to rent service. It shows your photo, which they must check is you, and whether your right to rent is unlimited or time-limited. They keep a record of the check. If it is time-limited, they must check again later, and can only do the first check in the 28 days before your tenancy starts.
Can a landlord insist on a share code?
No. If you have an eligible immigration document, GOV.UK says a landlord can’t reject your application because you gave them that instead of a share code. The Home Office’s code on avoiding discrimination, in force from 1 October 2026, also says renters must be treated the same whichever way they prove it, and not less favourably because their right is time-limited.
What if my share code doesn’t work?
Check the code was typed exactly, that the date of birth matches your UKVI account, that the code is less than 90 days old, and that it was made for renting, not work. If it still fails, get a new code. If your eVisa itself shows something wrong, report the error to UKVI from the same GOV.UK page.
What if I can’t get a share code at all?
If you can’t sign in, use UKVI’s account recovery or webchat. If your application or appeal is still waiting for a decision, or the Home Office holds your documents, the landlord can ask the Home Office’s Landlord Checking Service instead: it usually answers within two working days. Not having a code is not a reason on its own to turn you down.
Can I use my right to work share code to rent?
No. Right to work and right to rent are separate checks, and you choose which one you are proving when you make the code. Make a new one for renting; it takes a few minutes.
Where this comes from
GOV.UK’s Prove your right to rent in England, View and prove your immigration status, Check a tenant’s right to rent and Check your tenant’s right to rent, and the Home Office’s code of practice for landlords and code on avoiding discrimination, both in force from 1 October 2026. The whole scheme, including the documents British citizens can use and the penalties for landlords, is in our guide to right to rent.
General information, not legal or immigration advice. RenterCheck is independent and not connected with the Home Office or UK Visas and Immigration.
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