The right to rent means that a tenant has the legal right to rent property from the landlord. You have the right to rent if you:
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are a British citizen
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are a citizen of a country in the EU or EEA (European Economic Area)
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are a citizen of another country with no time limits on your permission to live in the UK (such as those with indefinite leave to remain eg you have shown a commitment to staying in the UK on a temporary visa)
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you have refugee status or humanitarian protection
Note that some undocumented Commonwealth citizens may have the right to rent. For more information, read the Government’s guidance on undocumented Commonwealth citizens' right to rent.
You may have a time-limited right to rent if there's a time limit on your permission to stay in the UK. For example, if you have a work or study visa, or if you're a spouse or civil partner of someone with full and settled status in the UK.
You won't have the right to rent if you are in the UK illegally. Landlords’ can easily check if someone has the right to rent.