The government has announced that from April 6 certified identity service providers will be able to use Identification Document Validation Technology to conduct Right To Rent checks on behalf of British and Irish citizens.

IDSPs allow people to verify their identity remotely and prove their eligibility to work or rent, which will reduce the costs of recruitment and letting processes. 

The government claims that working time and hours spent undertaking the checks will be slashed as landlords and employers who use an IDSP will no longer need to physically examine documents. 

IDSPs will also be able to carry out checks on behalf of employers and landlords at scale, for example in large recruitment campaigns when a high number of new employees are recruited.

The minister for safe and legal migration, Kevin Foster, says: “Online checks make it quicker, easier and more secure for employers and landlords to carry out right to rent and right to work checks and stop those looking to abuse our immigration system.

“These changes will make the checks more secure, quicker to do and will better support remote working practices.”

And the minister for media, data, and digital infrastructure, Julia Lopez, adds: “We are determined to seize the potential of new technology to boost the economy and make people’s lives easier.

“Trusted and secure ways for people to confidently verify themselves online will be a game-changer and offer an alternative to time-consuming and complex paper-based processes.”

Until these changes take effect on April 6, employers and landlords must continue to check the prescribed documents as set out in an employer’s guide to right to work checks, published on GOV.UK at: Right to work checks: an employer's guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or the landlord’s guide to right to rent checks, published on GOV.UK at: Landlord's guide to right to rent checks - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).