Letting agents 'must be diligent in checking tenants'

News Category: Legal

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Letting agents and landlords must be diligent when it comes to checking the criminal records of potential tenants, according to a home insurance expert.

Landlords can have their home insurance cover put at risk if they do not declare any previous convictions of tenants.

This is why it is imperative letting agents and landlords have a strict referencing policy in place to cover their backs, according to Michael Portman, managing director of Let Insurance.

Mr Portman said experienced letting agents can often spot potential problems well in advance, but by sticking to a regulated checking policy homes should remain covered by insurance.

"There will of course be bad apples, people who lie, but if the landlord or agent follows a formal process of referencing their prospective tenant and is diligent, the risks are lower," he said.

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, past convictions are spent and do not need to be mentioned after certain time periods.

Prison sentences of six months or less are spent after seven years, while those lasting between six months and two years are spent after ten years from the date of conviction.

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