UK Right to Rent Check for Pakistani Students: Share Code, Private Lets and Landlord Rules (2026)

What is the right to rent check?

It is an immigration check that a landlord or letting agent in England must carry out before a tenancy begins. The landlord confirms that the tenant is allowed to rent in the UK. The GOV.UK guidance for landlords says you must check that a tenant or lodger can legally rent your residential property in England. For a Pakistani student that means a short, routine step at the start of a private let, much like a reference check.

The check is about your immigration permission, not your character or your finances. It does not decide whether you get the flat. A landlord can still ask for references, a guarantor or a holding deposit under normal letting practice. Those questions sit outside this guide.

Why this matters more now that the BRP is gone

Many students arrived in earlier years with a plastic Biometric Residence Permit and simply showed it at the viewing. That no longer works. GOV.UK tells landlords they cannot accept biometric residence cards or permits and should ask for a share code instead. Our guide to the UK eVisa for Pakistani students replacing the BRP explains the change in detail. The right to rent check is the first place most students feel it.

What changes in private renting from 1 May 2026

The GOV.UK page for landlords carries a notice that the rules about private renting changed on 1 May 2026. That notice relates to the wider reforms to tenancies in England, which this guide does not cover. The immigration check described here continues to be a separate duty. For tenancy terms such as notice periods and fees, read the official tenant overview linked from GOV.UK before you sign.

Do students in halls need the check?

Not always. The Home Office landlord guide treats university halls and similar institution-provided accommodation as exempt, while it says the scheme applies to other student accommodation in the private rented sector. In practice the dividing line is who provides the room.

If you are unsure which category you fall into, ask the provider in writing. A reply such as "we do not carry out right to rent checks because the room is university accommodation" is useful to keep on file. Do not assume you are exempt because the building says "student" on the sign.

What proof does a Pakistani student give?

For most students with permission granted in recent years, the answer is an online check using a share code. The Home Office landlord guide says people who hold only an eVisa must evidence their right to rent using the Home Office online service. GOV.UK also says a landlord cannot insist you use the online service if you can provide a document from the acceptable document list. Both statements matter: the share code is the normal route, but you are not forced into it if you hold an acceptable original document.

What the share code shows the landlord

When you generate a share code you are told what the person using it will see. The landlord does not see your whole immigration record. They see enough to confirm that you have a right to rent and for how long. You give them the code and your date of birth. They enter both into the Home Office service and save the result.

What you will need to sign in

GOV.UK explains that you sign in to the eVisa service using a passport, national identity card, biometric residence card, an expired BRP or your UKVI customer number. You also need access to the phone number or email address linked to your UKVI account, because a security code is sent there. If you changed your phone number after applying, update your account before you travel.

How do you get a share code, step by step?

1. Open the GOV.UK service called "View your eVisa and get a share code" and choose to prove your right to rent.
2. Sign in with your passport or other accepted document and enter the security code sent to the phone or email on your UKVI account.
3. Read what the landlord will be able to see, then confirm.
4. Copy the share code. A right to rent code begins with the letter R according to the Home Office landlord guide.
5. Send the code to the landlord or agent together with your date of birth, or give it to them at the viewing.
6. Keep a screenshot of the code and the date you generated it.

As of 3 November 2026, the GOV.UK eVisa guidance states that a share code lasts for 90 days and can be used as many times as you need before it expires. That means you can generate the code before you start messaging landlords and reuse it. If it expires, generate a new one. There is no limit on how often you can get a fresh code.

When is the check done?

As of 3 November 2026, GOV.UK says that where a tenant is allowed to stay in the UK only for a limited time, the landlord does the check in the 28 days before the start of the tenancy. A student visa is time-limited, so this rule applies to you. Do not send a landlord a share code months before the tenancy and expect that to be the end of it. The landlord does the check close to the start date, and the code you gave earlier may be outside the window.

Follow-up checks

Because student permission ends on a known date, the landlord must usually do a second check before that permission expires. The GOV.UK follow-up checks page says the landlord does the follow-up just before the later of the end of your permission to stay and 12 months after the previous check. If you extend your visa, tell your landlord and send a fresh share code. If you stay in the same flat through a long course, expect to be asked again.

If you have no share code yet

As of 3 November 2026, GOV.UK says that a landlord who has no valid documents or share code from a tenant must use the Landlord Checking Service, and the Home Office aims to answer within 2 working days. You can ask the landlord to use that service if you cannot generate a code, for example because of a problem with your account. It is a fallback, not a plan A. Fix the account issue first.

What if the landlord asks for the wrong document?

Landlords vary. Some are professionals and some are renting their first property. Here are the usual problems and what to say.

• "Send me a photo of your BRP." Reply politely that you hold an eVisa and offer a share code. GOV.UK tells landlords they cannot accept these cards.
• "Only a paper letter will do." Offer the share code and point out that the Home Office service is the official route for eVisa holders.
• "I need a copy of your passport and visa now." A passport copy alone does not prove the right to rent for someone whose status is held digitally. Offer the share code and say you can generate it immediately.
• "My agent does not do checks." The landlord remains responsible. Ask who is carrying out the check and whether you should expect a call.

Stay calm and keep messages in writing. A student who argues loudly loses the flat. A student who sends a clear one-line reply with the share code usually keeps it.

What do landlords risk if they skip the check?

As of 3 November 2026, GOV.UK warns landlords that a failed check can bring a fine of up to £20,000 for each tenant, which is why a careful landlord will ask for your share code before handing over keys.

The GOV.UK penalties page sets out civil penalty amounts that differ for lodgers and tenants and rise for repeat breaches. You do not need to memorise them. The point for a student is simple: the landlord has a financial reason to do the check properly, and a landlord who skips it is exposing themselves, not you.

What this means for your rights

A check does not give a landlord a right to treat you differently from any other tenant. If you hold a right to rent and provide proof, you should be treated like any other applicant. If you believe you were refused only because of your nationality or because you hold a student visa, speak to your students' union or university advice service.

What does a realistic timeline look like?

Here is an invented case for a September start in a private flat share.

Most students find the process takes minutes once the account works. The delays come from login problems, not from the check itself.

What if you share a flat or move during your course?

Most Pakistani students rent with friends or coursemates, and many move at least once during a degree. The check is carried out per person, so each adult in a shared house gives their own proof. Do not assume that because your flatmate was checked, you are covered, or that a landlord can rely on a code you generated for someone else.

Sharing with students of different nationalities

A landlord must treat every applicant the same way. If a British flatmate shows a passport and you show a share code, that is normal, because the acceptable evidence differs by status. You should not be asked to pay extra, or to provide more documents than anyone else, simply because your proof is digital.

Moving to a new address

A new tenancy means a new check. If you move from one private let to another, the new landlord does their own check in the window before the tenancy starts. Generate a fresh code at that point rather than forwarding an old one. Keep your list of previous addresses, because later applications to extend your visa or switch to another route may ask where you lived.

Moving into halls in the second year

Some students begin in a private flat and move into university accommodation later, or the reverse. The category of accommodation, not your own status, decides whether the check applies. Ask each provider the same question in writing and keep the answer.

A simple checklist before every viewing

• UKVI account sign-in tested in the last week.
• Phone or email on the account within reach for the security code.
• Share code generated or ready to generate in minutes.
• Date of birth written down exactly as on your passport.
• Screenshot folder ready for the code and the date.
• Written question ready about which documents the landlord accepts.

Which mistakes do students make?

• Waiting until the last day. A login problem found the night before the tenancy can cost you the flat.
• Using an old contact number. The security code goes to the phone or email on your UKVI account.
• Sending screenshots of old cards. They do not prove your right to rent.
• Generating the wrong kind of code. Choose the right to rent option, not another service.
• Forgetting your date of birth. The landlord needs it with the code.
• Ignoring the follow-up. After a visa extension, send a fresh code.
• Paying cash with no paper trail. A landlord who refuses any written confirmation is a warning sign.

Renting is one part of settling in. Our guides on council tax for Pakistani students and the National Insurance number cover the next two forms you are likely to meet. For the wider search, read how Pakistani students find student accommodation abroad and what it costs, and keep the UK study hub bookmarked.

Frequently asked questions