Legal definition and framework governing how Rental Trust verifies tenant identity, income, and references.
Last updated: April 2026 | Version 1.2 | Governed by UK law
Rental Trust Limited ("Rental Trust", "we", "us", "our") operates a digital platform that facilitates the collection, verification, and presentation of tenant information to prospective landlords and letting agents. This document sets out the legal framework, standards, and procedures that govern our verification process.
This Verification Process Policy applies to all tenants who create a Rental Trust profile ("Tenant Passport"), all landlords and agents who access verified tenant profiles, and all third parties engaged by Rental Trust to assist in the verification process.
Our verification process is designed to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Immigration Act 2014 (Right to Rent), the Equality Act 2010, and all applicable UK housing and tenancy legislation.
Rental Trust conducts verification across three primary categories. Each category is assessed independently, and a composite verification status is assigned only when all applicable checks are satisfactorily completed.
Tenants are required to submit a government-issued photographic identity document. Acceptable documents include a valid UK or foreign passport, a UK driving licence (full or provisional), a national identity card issued by an EEA member state, or a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
Identity documents are reviewed to confirm authenticity, legibility, expiry status, and consistency with the tenant's declared personal details. Where automated document verification is used, results are subject to human review before a verification status is assigned. Rental Trust does not store copies of identity documents beyond the period required for verification and in accordance with our Data Retention Policy.
Tenants are required to submit evidence of their income or financial position. Acceptable documents include recent payslips (typically the three most recent consecutive months), a current employment contract, bank statements (three months), a Self Assessment tax return (SA302) or tax year overview, or a letter from an employer confirming salary and employment status.
Income verification is conducted to confirm that the tenant's declared income is consistent with the submitted documentation. Rental Trust does not make affordability assessments or lending decisions and does not assess whether a tenant meets any specific landlord's income threshold. The verified income figure is presented as a factual data point; landlords and agents are solely responsible for applying their own affordability criteria.
Tenants may submit references from previous landlords, employers, or character referees. Where a landlord reference is provided, Rental Trust may contact the referee directly to confirm the authenticity of the reference and the accuracy of the information contained within it.
Reference verification is advisory in nature. Rental Trust does not guarantee the accuracy of information provided by third-party referees and accepts no liability for inaccurate or misleading references provided by third parties. Landlords and agents should conduct their own independent due diligence in addition to reviewing verified references.
Under the Immigration Act 2014 (as amended by the Immigration Act 2016), landlords in England are legally required to check that all adult occupiers have the right to rent residential property in the UK before granting a tenancy. This obligation rests with the landlord, not with Rental Trust.
Rental Trust facilitates Right to Rent checks by collecting and presenting relevant identity documentation. However, Rental Trust does not conduct Right to Rent checks on behalf of landlords, and the information provided on our platform does not constitute a completed Right to Rent check for the purposes of the Immigration Act 2014.
Landlords and agents must conduct their own Right to Rent checks in accordance with the Home Office Code of Practice. Where a tenant's right to rent is time-limited, landlords must conduct follow-up checks at the appropriate intervals. Rental Trust's platform includes a Right to Rent status indicator as an administrative aid only.
Important: Failure to conduct a valid Right to Rent check may result in a civil penalty of up to £3,000 per occupier. Landlords are solely responsible for compliance with the Immigration Act 2014. Rental Trust accepts no liability for any civil penalty or prosecution arising from a landlord's failure to conduct lawful Right to Rent checks.
Rental Trust applies a reasonable care standard when reviewing submitted documents. Our reviewers assess documents for visible signs of tampering, inconsistency, or fraud. We do not have access to government databases and cannot independently verify the authenticity of documents through official channels. Our verification is based on a visual and contextual review of submitted materials.
Rental Trust may use automated tools to assist in the initial review of documents, including optical character recognition (OCR) and document authenticity checks. Automated decisions are not final; all verification outcomes are subject to human review. Tenants have the right to request human review of any automated decision under Article 22 of the UK GDPR.
Each verification category is assigned one of the following statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | The submitted document(s) have been reviewed and found to be consistent, legible, and satisfactory. |
| Pending | Documents have been submitted and are awaiting review. No verification outcome has been assigned. |
| Rejected | The submitted document(s) did not meet the required standard. The tenant has been notified and may resubmit. |
| Not Submitted | No documents have been submitted for this category. |
Rental Trust aims to complete verification reviews within the following timeframes, measured from the point at which all required documents have been submitted:
| Category | Target Turnaround | Maximum Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Identity Verification | 24 hours | 3 business days |
| Income Verification | 48 hours | 5 business days |
| Reference Verification | 3 business days | 10 business days |
These timelines are targets only and are not contractually binding. Delays may occur during periods of high demand, where additional information is required from the tenant, or where third-party referees do not respond promptly. Rental Trust will notify tenants of any material delay.
Tenants who believe that a verification decision is incorrect or has been made in error have the right to challenge that decision. To do so, tenants should contact Rental Trust at [email protected] within 30 days of receiving notification of the decision, setting out the grounds for the challenge and providing any additional supporting evidence. Rental Trust will review the challenge and respond within 10 business days.
Where a document is rejected, tenants may resubmit alternative or corrected documentation at any time. There is no limit on the number of resubmissions, provided that each submission is made in good faith and the tenant has not been suspended from the platform.
Tenants retain all rights under the UK GDPR in respect of their personal data, including the right of access, the right to rectification, and the right to erasure. For full details of data subject rights, please refer to our page. Tenants may also request that their profile be removed from the platform at any time by contacting [email protected].
Landlords and agents who access tenant profiles through the Rental Trust platform agree to the following obligations:
Rental Trust's verification process is designed to reduce, but cannot eliminate, the risk of fraud or misrepresentation by tenants. Rental Trust does not warrant that any verified information is accurate, complete, or up to date, and accepts no liability for any loss or damage suffered by a landlord, agent, or tenant as a result of reliance on verified information presented on the platform.
In particular, Rental Trust does not accept liability for: losses arising from a tenant's failure to pay rent or fulfil tenancy obligations; losses arising from fraudulent documents that were not detectable through reasonable visual review; losses arising from a landlord's or agent's failure to conduct their own due diligence; or any consequential, indirect, or special losses of any kind.
Nothing in this policy limits Rental Trust's liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under English law.
This Verification Process Policy and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.
The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with this policy or its subject matter or formation.
If you have any questions about this Verification Process Policy or wish to raise a concern about a specific verification decision, please contact us:
Verification queries: [email protected]
Legal queries: [email protected]
Data protection: [email protected]
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