Should Landlords Request A DBS Check From Tenants?

Should Landlords Request a DBS check?

However, there could be times when a landlord might be required to request one (I cover this further below).

Landlords and letting agents cannot run DBS checks on behalf of their tenants, it’s something tenants have to apply for themselves, and that’s actually why it’s often neglected by landlords and agents as part of their internal referencing procedure. That’s also why tenant referencing and credit check services, like the “comprehensive” one offered by OpenRent below, do not include DBS checks:

Supplier	Notes	Price
Supplier	Notes / Includes Comprehensive Reference 3-5 Working Days (on average) Rent Guarantee Insurance Eligible Credit Check Linked Address, Identity & Fraud Information CCJs, Decrees, and other court information Right to Rent Check and Advice Affordability Rating Previous Landlord Reference Employers Reference Bankruptcy data Electoral Roll check Alias name search View sample report	Price £20 Inc VAT	More Info

Please note, I try my best to keep the information of each service up-to-date, but you should read the T&C's from their website for the most up-to-date and accurate information.

A lot of landlords pay for a referencing service, and either believe that’s good enough, or don’t realise a DBS check is not included.

So, should landlords request a DBS check? I personally think it would be prudent, to at the very least, give extra weight to applicants who voluntarily provide one. I don’t see any harm in making that clear to applicants, as it can help paint an overall picture of the applicants risk profile.

In today’s climate, where landlords are notoriously overwhelmed with applications (due to the ongoing housing crisis), rent arrears are on the rise, and pending regulatory changes will make it more difficult to remove rogue tenants, minimising the risk of ending up with a donkey tenant is more important than ever.

But that’s just my take.

If you plan on using a letting agent to manage the tenant-find process, including referencing, you could request that they ensure potential tenants provide a DBS certificate, with consent to share it with the landlord. I know from other landlords that letting agents are usually happy to accommodate this request.

How Tenants (or anyone else) can Request a DBS Check

It’s pretty easy.

There are four levels of DBS checks:

• Basic DBS check
• Standard DBS check
• Enhanced DBS check
• Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS check

Important: the highest level of DBS that can be requested by landlords on tenants is a Basic DBS check!

Anyone can request a basic DBS check from the gov website. At the time of writing this blog post, it costs £21.50.

It usually takes up to 14 days to receive a certificate.

How DBS Checks Help Landlords Avoid Bad Tenants

A Basic DBS check provides a filtered list of an individual’s convictions and conditional cautions from the Police National Computer (PNC) that are considered unspent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.

So, obviously, knowing if an applicant has a long history of convictions can be a tad useful.

When a DBS Check might be Required!

To reiterate, undergoing a DBS check is not a legal requirement, and landlords cannot force tenants to obtain one. However, from what I’ve been told by other landlords, some insurance policies, particularly those that include rent protection insurance, may require tenants to be DBS checked as part of their terms.

I have personally never come across such a requirement, but I don’t doubt it, so it’s worth reviewing your policy before taking out insurance in case it is a requirement.

Landlord out xo